Indian Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros unicornis

Description:

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called greater one-horned rhinoceros and Asian one-horned rhinoceros and belongs to the Rhinocerotidae family. Listed as a vulnerable species, the large mammal is primarily found in parts of north-eastern India and in protected areas in the Terai of Nepal, where populations are confined to the riverine grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas. Typically weighing between 1,600 to 3,500 kg (3,500 to 7,700 lb), it is the fourth largest land animal. (Wikipedia)

Habitat:

The Indian rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain but excessive hunting reduced their natural habitat drastically. Today, about 3,000 rhinos live in the wild, 2,000 of which are found in India's Assam alone. (Wikipedia)

Notes:

This mother and baby are in the San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) of the San Diego Zoo.

Species ID Suggestions

37 Comments (1–25)

Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks Dez. For World Rhino Day, here's a dis-spiriting article from Natural History Magazine about the rhino horn trade. http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/feature...

Smith Zoo 10 years ago

A rhino’s skin is not as tough as it looks, and can actually be quite sensitive to sunburns and insect bites.

Mona Pirih 10 years ago

Beautiful..

Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks NewYorker (I used to be one).

Evergreen 10 years ago

Nice family bonding pics!

Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks CostaBoyJack; I think their affection is beautiful too.

CostaBoyJack 10 years ago

beautiful

Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks Sachin; I think it makes it so clear that animals (well, some mammals) have the same kinds of feelings we do. After all, they have a limbic system like ours which is where emotion comes from.

Sachin Zaveri 11 years ago

Heart touching series,, thanks for sharing lovely moments,,

Dixie 11 years ago

Yep. You can bet on bad weather when we visit. I used to go to Florida every summer when I was growing up but I have never been to the Everglades. I got a chance to go about 10 years ago and they closed access to it because of the flooding.

Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks Dixie. That's an amazing story because I've never heard of them closing the SD Zoo, but once every ten years I guess it does happen.

Dixie 11 years ago

This is such a cool series! I absolutely love it.
I was looking back on photos and missed this when you posted. We went to San Diego one year; I was really looking forward to going to the zoo. Apparently bad weather follows us because the cab driver said they were having their 10 year storm (?). It was raining so hard, they closed the zoo.

Reza Hashemizadeh 11 years ago

What a lovely series of these amazing creatures !

Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks nexttogone, I love how tender they are with each other.

nexttogone 11 years ago

Very cute takes! Love the series.

Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks Smith'sZoo and patty. What I learned on that zoo trip was that rhinos are generally not who's going to hurt you in the wild; it's cattle who are going to charge you and gore you to death.

patty 11 years ago

It is beautiful indeed Smith´s zoo; it is a very sweet portrait of life. =)

Smith'sZoo 11 years ago

This remains one of my favorite Rhino spots Ava!!

Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks PerilsOfPlastic, they were sweet indeed. I was on a stake truck in their (acres large) enclosure and the rhinos would come up and you could drop an apple in their mouth. They were completely non-aggressive.