From the team at BBC Wildlife Magazine

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12 amazing rhino facts you might not know

Discover fascinating facts about these large herbivores.

A black rhino in Addo National Park, South Africa

1
Where does the name ‘rhinoceros’ come from?
Two Greek words, ‘rhino’ meaning nose and ‘ceros’ meaning horn, combine to create
the word rhinoceros.

2
What’s the collective noun for rhinos?
A group of rhinos is called a crash.

3
How many species of rhino are there?
There are five extant species of rhino – white and black (found in Africa), Indian, Javan,
and Sumatran (found in southern Asia).

The white rhino name likely derives from the Dutch word ‘wijd’ meaning wide, which
refers to the animal’s wide mouth, whilst the black rhino was so-named to distinguish it
from the white rhino.

A Sumatran rhino in captivity, in Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Way Kambas National Park,
Indonesia.

4
What do rhinos eat?
The black, Javan and Sumatran species are browsers, wrapping their prehensile upper
lip around leaves and twigs when foraging. White and India rhinos are considered to be
grazers.

5
Are rhinos related to any other animals?
Rhinos are part of a group of animals called Perissodactyla, which are odd-toed
ungulates. There are only three extant animal famillies in this group – Rhinocerotidae
(rhinos), Equidae (horses, zebras and asses) and Tapiridae (tapirs).

6
How many teeth do rhinos have?
Rhinos have between 24 to 34 teeth, depending on the species.
 Black rhinoceros in the African savannah.

7
Is rhino horn medically useful?
Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same substance that makes up our nails and hair.
It has no medical properties despite being used in traditional Asian medicine.

8
How well can rhinos see and hear?
Rhinos have fantastic hearing and a great sense of smell, but have terrible eyesight.
They will struggle to spot something further than 30m away.

9
Why do rhinos love mud?
Rhinos love wallowing. By covering themselves with mud and letting it dry they are
protecting their skin from the sun. Rhinos will rub their bodies against tree trunks and
rocks to remove ectoparasites, such as ticks, which have become stuck in the dry mud
on their skin.
 White rhinocerous in Etosha National Park, Namibia, during the dry season.

10
How quickly do rhinos reproduce?
Rhino gestation lasts between 15 and 16 months, usually giving birth to just one calf
(twins are very rare). Young rhinos will remain with their mothers until they are between
two or three years old.

11
Do rhinos mark their territories?
Rhino home ranges are marked with dung heaps called middens that are used by both
male and females to communicate their whereabouts and reproductive condition.

12
Why do rhinos let birds sit on them?
Oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship with rhinos. Rhinos have a host of
ectoparasites on their hide that the birds eat, keeping the rhino free of parasites. The
oxpeckers can also raise the alarm, warning the rhino if any danger is about.
 Red-billed oxpeckers on a black rhino.

https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/facts-about-rhinos/