Welcome to the world of the Rhino. This fascinating, leather-sided giant lives in Africa and Asia, and is currently under-threat from poaching and the constant encroachment of humans on its habitat. Here’s a list of the 15 fun facts and one less fun but interesting fact about the Rhino!

1. There Are Five Species Of Rhino!

It’s not just a rhino. There are actually five different species of rhinoceros spanning a landmass comprising of Africa and Asia. Black Rhino’s and White rhino’s live in Africa, and Javan, Sumatran and the Greater One-Horned Rhino live in Asia. One difference between Asian and African Rhino’s is that skin folds on Asian rhino hide gives the animal a more armoured look than their counterparts in Africa.

2. Rhinos Weigh The Same As A Small Lorry

The largest rhino species is the African White Rhino. It can weigh more than 3 tonnes. Imagine all the grass and leaves it needs to eat to maintain that body mass. The African White Rhino wieghs the same as three polar bears or a blue whales tongue!

3. Rhinos Can Run At 55km/h!

The fastest Rhino is the African Black Rhino which has been recorded running at speeds over 55km/h. That’s ten km/h faster than Usain Bolt runs the fastest ever 100m Olympic final! If all the Rhino’s had a running race, the Black Rhino would win, followed by the White Rhino. The Greater One Horned Rhino would take the bronze!

4. Black Rhinos And White Rhinos Are Both Grey!

People are often confused by the names “Black Rhino” and “White Rhino.” Weirdly, both species are actually grey! The White Rhino takes its name from an Afrikaans word meaning wide (“wyd”) referring to its wide top lip, whilst Black Rhinos have a much more beaky upper lip. Early English explorers mistook the word “wyd” for ‘white’ and misnamed the species “White Rhino”. Why they chose to give the other grey coloured species the name “Black Rhino” is anybodies guess!

5. Rhinos Are So Famous Other Animals Are Named After Them!

The word rhinoceros is a combination of two Greek words – rhino (nose) and ceros (horn). They’re so famous for having horned noses, pretty much any other creature with a horn on its nose is called a rhino something. The list is endless and includes rhinoceros beetle, rhinoceros chameleon, rhinoceros hornbill and rhinoceros viper!

6. A Group Of Rhinos Is Called A Crash!

Just like cows, male rhinos are known as 'bulls' and females are called 'cows'. Similarily, young rhinocerus are called ‘calves’  Rhinos live in groups and the groups are given a name which really describes the nature of a rhino well: A crash!

7. Rhino Horns Are Made Of The Same Stuff As Fingernails

The substance that forms our hair and fingernails, grows together to fornm the rhinos horn. It’s a protein called keratin. Some rhinos have a single horn (Javan and Greater One-Horned rhinos) whereas all the other rhino species have two horns (a bit greedy?) The biggest horn ever grown by a rhino was measured at 150cm which is 90% the height of French Emperor, Napoleon Bonapart!

8. Rhinos Need Glasses

Rhinos’ have terrible eyesight. Do you remember the scene in Jurassic Park where they stand still to avoid the T_Rex seeing them? Rhino’s eyes work in the same way and they’re  unable to see a motionless person if they’re more than 30m away. They do have a strong sense of smell so if you’re carrying a bag full of stilton cheese they’ll still be able to charge you down. 

9. Javan Rhinos Are Doomed!

In the shadow of an active volcano lies Ujung Kulon Park . It’s a World Heritage Site and home to the last wild Javan rhinos. Apart from a volcano that’s liable to erupt at any moment, the rhinos are also threatened by an inevitable tsunami (one is predicted to arrive within the next 100 years) that will wipe out 80% of the park. Ecologists are trying to start populations of Javan Rhinos elsewhere on the island, but it’s a tricky business as humans have bagged all the good spots.

10. Rhino Chat Happens In Honks and Sneezes!

Rhinos communicate with each other using a curious language. When they are angry they can growl and make trumpetty sounds.  Black rhinos are known to snort when they’re angry and sneeze to sound the alarm in cases of danger! They can also scream if they’re scared. Some zoologists describe the sound they make when contented as a “mmwonk!”

11. Rhinos Use Poo Like We Use TikTok!

Rhinos poo in the same spots as other rhinos. It’s called a latrine., the same word Ancient Romans used for a toilet! This makes the toilet area a hub of social-information. Rhinos will browse through all the poos to find out who’s around, who hangs out together and how big everyone is. Lovely!  

12. Rhinos Closest Relatives Are…

NOT hippos OR elephants! In fact the closest living rhino relatives are tapirs and zebras: the odd-toed ungulates! An ungulate is a hoofed herbivorous, four-legged mammal.Rhinos have three toes on each hoof making them odd-toed!

13. Rhinos LOVE Mud!

Rhinos give themselves a protective 'mud coat’ by rolling around in muddy rivers to keep them cool, defend themselves from biting insects andannoying parasites. Although Asian rhinos are  talented swimmers their performance on the high diving board leaves a lot to be desired!

14. African Rhinos Can’t Swim!

Apart from the massive splash, African Rhinos perform even worse at diving competitions. They can’t even swim! African Rhinos have been known to drown in deep water and instead of a few laps of the pool, they usually stick to wallowing in mud-baths for their relaxing downtime.

15. Rhinos Are Threatened By Poachers!

2 rhinos are killed every day by gangs of poachers. It’s an organised and criminal activity and modern day poachers use technology like drones and helicopters to track the rhinos, removing their horns with chainsaws. Using a helicopter the paochers can hit and run in as little as 10 minutes, often leaving the wounded rhino to die. And Why? Though ground rhino horn is used in traditional Asian medicine, it’s been proven to have no beneficial effect whatsoever!