Greater One-horned Rhino

• Unlike other rhinos, the folds of its skin form plates that give it the look of articulated armour.
• It feeds on grasses, leaves, twigs, fruit and water plants.
• It lives in the alluvial grassland and riverine forest of northern India and southern Nepal.
• anatomíaIts horn is not bone but compacted keratin, the same substance as human hair and nails.
• fisiologíaIts thick skin folds deeply and looks like armour, but it is in fact sensitive and will sunburn if the animal does not wallow in mud regularly.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Alluvial grassland and riverine forest of northern India and southern Nepal

Birth weight

40 - 81 kg (average ~64.5-70 kg)

Size at birth

Smoother-skinned than the adult, with folds that deepen with age

Sexual maturity

Female: 4-7 years | Male: 7-9 years physically, though it does not breed effectively until it wins dominance

Gestation / incubation

425-496 days (~15.5-16 months)

Litter / clutch size

1 young, with an interval between births of 3-4 years

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of 43.5-47 years in captivity (though the 47-year figure is disputed)

Sources consulted: A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animals Time; Rhino Resource Center; Ultimate Ungulate; Animalia.bio; Animal Corner; PMC (reproductive tract tumours study)