The rhinoceros

📖 In short

The rhinoceros, or rhino, is a huge animal, one of the biggest on land. It has a heavy body, short strong legs, skin as thick as armor, and one or two horns on its nose.

🤩 Did you know?

The white rhino is the biggest, up to 4.5 meters long and weighing about 3 tonnes.
A rhino lives about 50 years.
Millions of years ago there lived a relative of the rhino more than 5 meters tall.
The rhino is endangered because poachers kill it to take its horn.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 A horn made of hair!

A rhino's horn isn't made of bone but of keratin, the same stuff your hair and nails are made of. It uses it to defend itself and its young.

🔍 Mud baths

Rhinos love rolling in mud, because it protects their skin from the burning sun and insect bites, and cools them down.

💡 Poor eyesight, strong nose

Rhinos don't see well, but their sense of smell and hearing are very strong. If a rhino is angry or scared, it may charge very fast towards the danger.

🎯 A friend to birds

Small birds perch on a rhino's back and eat insects off its skin, and call out to warn it if danger comes near.

🧩 Test yourself

1 What is a rhino's horn made of?

2 Why does a rhino roll in mud?

3 A rhino lives about ?? years.

4 Which picture shows “The rhinoceros”?

🦁 Discover more

📷 Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons

Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0