One of the 5 rhinoceroses on WAnimals
Mammals · Perissodactyla · Rhinocerotidae
Sumatran Rhinoceros
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
It faces an extremely high risk of imminent extinction in the wild. See full glossary
The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the five living rhinos and the only Asian one with two horns. It is also the hairiest: it keeps a reddish coat that visually links it to the extinct woolly rhinoceros, its closest relative. It browses leaves, shoots and fruit in dense understorey. Its population, already fragmented into tiny pockets in Sumatra and Borneo, has fallen below fifty animals, and the greatest problem is no longer hunting but that the few survivors cannot find one another to breed.
Weight
500 kg – 960 kg
Size
2.3 m – 3.2 m
Lifespan
35 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Very hard
Estimated population
Fewer than 50 individuals
Fun facts
- anatomíaIt is the smallest living rhinoceros and the only one with two horns and a notable coat of hair, which ties it more closely to the extinct woolly rhinos than to its living relatives.
- It is the closest living relative of the Pleistocene woolly rhinoceros, and keeps a reddish coat that no other living rhino has.
- Its main threat is no longer poaching but isolation: the few animals left are so scattered that females go years without meeting a male, and the lack of pregnancies gives them uterine cysts and tumours that eventually leave them infertile.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Montane and lowland rainforest of Sumatra and Borneo, with abundant understorey
- Sexual maturity
- 7.5 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 7.8 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicerorhinus_sumatrensis
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Sumatran Rhinoceros — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Javan Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros sondaicus
Sumatran Orangutan
Pongo abelii
Sunda Pangolin
Manis javanica
Sumatran Tiger
Panthera tigris sumatrae
Sunda Flying Lemur
Galeopterus variegatus
Short-tailed Gymnure
Hylomys suillus
How to help
The sumatran rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 4 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about sumatran rhinoceros.
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