African Black Rhino, Male

Rhinos have distinctive deep wrinkles, especially where their short legs meet their big, strong bodies.

Rhinos are large and intimidating herbivores with big horns and thick skin. They use their horns to defend themselves, and their skin is their armor. Although they have poor eyesight, their other senses make up for it. They have rotating ears to detect even the quietest sounds. Different sounds and ear positions have different meanings for rhinos. Their large nose picks up on scents of its predators from far away. Easily frightened, these mammals will charge at almost anything. They have even been known to charge termite mounds! Weighing well over a ton and measuring over five feet high at their shoulder, rhinos are the largest land mammal after the elephant. Despite their size, rhinos have been clocked at thirty miles per hour. Since rhinos live mainly solitary lives, they entertain themselves by wallowing in mud and coating their skin to protect it from the sun as well as to cool off on a hot summer day.

Fun Facts: The horn closest to a rhino's mouth can grow taller than the height of a dining room chair.

Zoological Name: Diceros bicornis
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Primary Habitat: Grassland
Global Home: Africa