Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros, any of 5 species of heavy land mammals (family Rhino-cerotidae) characterized by one or two nasal “horn” or “horns,” formed of a mass of compacted hairs. They are bulky animals with poor vision and thick, hairless skin, often falling in heavy, loose folds. They live in transitional habitats between open grassland and high forest, grazing or browsing at night on bushes or shrubs. All 5 species— the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), the black (Diceros bicornus), the Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis), the Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), and the Javan (R. sondaicus)—have been hunted for their horns to the verge of extinction.