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Great Indian rhinoceros - RHINOCEROS UNICORNIS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Rhinoceros": "Rhinoceros" literally means "nose horn," and in this species we have found the true "unicorn," which means "one horn." Other species have two horns.
Location: Nepal and northeastern India.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Grassland and open areas in forests.
Description: The Indian rhinoceros can be distinguished from the African rhinoceros not only because it has just a single horn, but because the hide is covered with bumps and has many folds, resembling very much a living tank. The coloring of these folds may be pink. These animals are hairless except for a tuft on the tail and at the base of the ears for insect chasing. The feet are all 3-toed, unlike the one-toed horses of this order, and the legs are short and powerful. These huge animals may stretch 13 feet long and over six feet high at the shoulders. They can weigh 4000 pounds.
Behavior: The Indian rhinoceros is generally a solitary animal when it feeds, but it may share wallows or bathing places. The female is often accompanied by a single offspring for several years. It rarely attacks and usually flees from danger, although it has little to fear except from man. It likes to be near water, and bathes frequently. It is active night or day, feeding on grass, shoots, and tender plants.
Reproduction: Gestation lasts for 15 to 16 months, after which the female delivers a single young, usually in March or April. The youngster nurses for about two years, and stays near its mother for another year after weaning. It reaches sexual maturity between three and five years of age.
Note: For centuries people in the Orient have believed that many parts of the rhinoceros have magical properties. As a result the species has been hunted almost to extermination.
Go to the Odd-toed Ungulates Page to learn more about this small order of animals.
Go to the Black Rhinoceros or the White Rhinoceros to see the only other rhinoceroses listed in America Zoo.
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