Rhino Fact Sheet
Name and Populations
There are two African rhinos: the White rhino and the Black rhino, and three Asian rhinos: the
Indian one-horned rhino, the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino.
Rhinos have lived on earth for 40 million years. In 1970 there were 70,000 rhinos. Today 29,000
rhinos survive.
Age - Height - Weight
The white rhino can live up to 50 years.
The White rhino is the second largest land mammal, after the African Elephant.
Males stand at up to 1.8m at the shoulder.
The Sumatran rhino is the smallest at 1.5m high.
Weights of each rhino species varies greatly; from the Sumatran rhino which may weigh up to
950kg, to the White rhino which can weigh up to 2700kg.
Characteristics
1,215
Over
rhinos
were poached in South Africa alone
in 2014 representing the worst year
ever for rhinos in Africa
97.6%
2m
The decline in number
of black rhinon since 1960
- the length of the longest
recorded rhino horn.
Rhinos have thick, heavy hides which go into folds at the hips and shoulders, resembling an
armour plate.
Black and White rhinos are greyish in colour. The name ‘White’ comes from a African word
meaning wide because of the White rhino’s wide shaped lip.
Black and Indian rhinos have pointed lips and are browsers in dense thicket.
White rhinos have wide, square lips and graze grasslands. They have longer shaped heads
than the Black rhino.
Rhinos have no sweat glands and so wallow in water and mud to keep cool.
Rhinos can run very fast - up to speeds of 45km/hr and are surprisingly manoeuvrable.
The Sumatran rhino or “hairy rhino” has rough hairs on its skin - others only have hair on their
tails and ears.
Rhinos are territorial - marking their ranges with urine and piles of dung.
Predators and Threats
In the natural world the only predator of rhinos is man, although young rhinos are vulnerable
to attack.
The White rhino
Ceratotherium simum – c. 20,400 surviving
The Black rhino
Diceros bicornis – c. 5,055 surviving
The Indian one-horned rhino
Rhinoceros unicornis - c. 3,345 surviving
Threats to rhino survival include:
Loss of habitat from human encroachment.
Poaching for their horn. Rhino horn is used to make dagger handles and used in Traditional
Chinese Medicines (TCM) where it is believed to cure a wide range of illnesses including
cancer, fever, skin diseases and heart and liver trouble. Rhino horn is made from a form of
keratin, like human hair and fingernails. In the Far East, rhino nails, hooves, blood, urine and
hides are also used in TCM, despite there being no scientific evidence that rhino horn has any
value as a medicine.
The Sumatran rhino
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis – c. 100 surviving
The Javan rhino
Rhinoceros sondaicus - c. 58 surviving
Family Life
Figures from IUCN African & Asian Rhino Specialist Groups, 2013
All rhinos are short sighted but they have very good hearing and an excellent sense of smell.
Most rhinos are solitary, living in open grassland, savannah, scrub forest or marsh.
Indian one-horned rhinos live in seasonally flooded regions. Sumatran rhinos are now only found in
deep forest.
White rhino females and sub adults tend to live in small family groups, the bulls are usually solitary.
Female rhinos can breed every 2-3 years from maturity at about 6-7 years old.
May 2016
Photos courtesy of SRT
Pregnancy lasts approxiamately 16 months.
Mating occurs throughout the year but births tend to peak in November after the rains
when food is abundant.
Black rhino claves weigh 35-45kg at birth. Although rare, rhinos do
occasionally have twins.
Once thought to be anti-social, new research reveals that rhinos often gather at
night in sociable groups around watering holes.
For more information see www.davidshepherd.org
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iti ng
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About the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) supports a range of innovative and far-reaching
conservation projects throughout Africa and Asia that have anti-poaching, education and undercover
investigation at their heart, all working to save endangered wildlife and their habitat.
Our work with rhinos
Namibia: Black rhino protection
Funding essential monitoring of the last truly wild Black rhino population
alongside anti-poaching operations including an emergency response to the
increase in rhino poaching through fitting transmitters and satellite collars
(anklets) as well as taking DNA samples of all the rhino processed. Additionally,
DSWF supports equipment provision, training workshops and local outreach
programmes which seek to encourage communities to protect rhinos.
Asia: Operation Last Chance
Dismantling major wildlife trafficking syndicates behind the increase in rhino
poaching and wildlife crime through investigation and cooperation with
government authorities. Support from DSWF has led to early successes
including the conviction of a major player in the illegal rhino horn trade and
media pressure has forced a wildlife crime kingpin to step down from his
business which began to shake under the pressure of bad publicity.
India: Assam park protection
Protecting one of the last major strongholds of the Indian one-horned rhino
through essential communication networks, patrol boats and supplies for
anti-poaching operations in Assam’s key wildlife parks. Alternative livelihood
schemes and education form a vital part of DSWF supported-work, raising
awareness among communities, taking the message of conservation to schools
and villages in and around the national parks.
India: Assam dog squad unit
Funding the first dog squad to complement anti-poaching operations,
improving the authorities’ ability to detect evidence, track and apprehend
criminals involved in the illegal wildlife trade.
India: Rapid action projects
Funding rapid emergency aid enabling immediate response to wildlife crises
May 2016
Photos courtesy of Aaranyak, SRT, FREELAND
throughout India.
Donate to DSWF and you will help:
Monitor vital rhino populations.
Run anti-poaching patrols to keep rhino safe.
Provide emergency assistance for rhino when the need arises.
Improve the authorities’ ability to track down poachers and those involved in the illegal wildlife trade.
Educate local children about the value of their native wildlife.
Work with local communities to ensure they do not need to rely on
illegal wildlife trade.
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Saba House, 7 Kings Road, Shalford, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8JU
Tel: 01483 272323 Website: www.davidshepherd.org
Registered Charity No: 1106893