CC BY-SA 4.0 · Aditya Pal · source
Quick Facts
- Type
- Mammal
- Size
- 3.1–3.8 m body length
- Weight
- 1,800–2,700 kg
- Habitat
- Floodplain grassland and forest edge in northern India and Nepal
- Diet
- Herbivore — grasses, fruit, leaves, aquatic plants, and agricultural crops
- Active Time
- Crepuscular and nocturnal
- Lifespan
- 35–45 years in the wild, up to 47 years in captivity
Field Notes
- The Indian rhino's skin folds look like armour plates but the skin between the folds is relatively thin and sensitive to insects and sunburn.
- Conservation efforts have brought Indian rhino numbers from fewer than 200 in 1900 to over 3,700 today, one of Asia's great wildlife recovery stories.
- Unlike African rhinos, Indian rhinos have a single horn and upper canine teeth that form sharp tusk-like incisors used in fights.
About the Indian Rhinoceros
The Indian rhinoceros, also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros, is distinguished from African rhinos by its single horn and deeply folded skin that resembles armour plating. It is the largest of the Asian rhino species. Once decimated by hunting and habitat loss, intensive conservation in India's Kaziranga National Park and Nepal's Chitwan National Park has brought populations back from under 200 in 1900 to over 3,700 today — a conservation success story. Indian rhinos are good swimmers and feed in wetlands as well as grasslands, and individuals produce loud whistles and honks.
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