Rhinocerotidae Archives

Rhinocerotidae - Rhinoceroses

There are five living species in the rhinoceros family. The White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are found in Africa. The Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), and Indian Rhinoceros, also called the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), are found in Asia.

Rhinoceroses have huge, barrel-shaped bodies and large heads with one or two horns. They have short legs with three hoofed toes on each foot, small eyes, large ears, and thin tails. Their thick, wrinkled skin is gray or grayish in color and is covered with a small amount of stiff hair.

Rhinoceroses live in grasslands, savannas, shrublands, and forests. They are herbivores and eat plants. Females usually give birth to one baby at a time.

White Rhino
(Ceratotherium simum)

The White Rhino is found in South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, and Zambia. IUCN Redlist Status: Near Threatened
Sumatran Rhinoceros
(Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

Sumatran Rhinoceros is found in Indonesia. IUCN Redlist Status: Critically Endangered
Black Rhino
(Diceros bicornis)

The Black Rhino is found in Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia. IUCN Redlist Status: Critically Endangered
Javan Rhinoceros
(Rhinoceros sondaicus)

There are only around 50-75 Java Rhinos alive today. They are only found in Ujung Kulon National Park on the Indonesian island of Java. They once had a much larger range across South and Southeast Asia. IUCN Red List Status: Critically Endangered
Greater One-Horned Rhino
(Rhinoceros unicornis)

The Greater One-horned Rhino is found in India and Nepal. IUCN Redlist Status: Vulnerable