A rhinoceros, sometimes known as a rhino, is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae, which includes the five current species of odd-toed ungulates as well as several extinct species. Two of the current species are found in Africa, while the other three are found in Southern Asia. The word “rhinoceros” is commonly used to refer to now-extinct animals of the Rhinocerotoidea superfamily.

The rhinoceros family includes among of the biggest surviving megafauna, with all species capable of weighing one tonne or more. They eat plants and have tiny brains (400–600 g) for their size, one or two horns, and a thick (1.5–5 cm) protective skin made up of collagen layers arranged in a lattice pattern. They consume mostly green plants, although their capacity to digest food in their hindgut allows them to ingest fibrous plant materials when necessary. The two African species of rhinoceros, unlike other perissodactyls, lack teeth at the front of their mouths, depending instead on their lips to pick food.

Poachers kill rhinoceros for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market and utilized as decorations or traditional medicine by various cultures. The greatest market for rhino horns is in East Asia, especially Vietnam.

On the illicit market, rhino horns are worth as much as gold by weight. The horns are crushed up and the dust eaten by some tribes who think the horns have medicinal powers. Keratin, the same protein that builds up hair and fingernails, is used to form the horns. The African rhinoceros, as well as the Sumatran rhinoceros, have two horns, but the Indian and Javan rhinoceros only have one. The black, Javan, and Sumatran rhinoceros are all classified as severely endangered by the IUCN Red List.

The southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) and the northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) are two subspecies of white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni). The southern subspecies has a natural population of 20,405 rhinos, making it the world’s most numerous rhino subspecies. The northern subspecies, on the other hand, is highly endangered, with just two captive females known to exist.

The name “white rhinoceros” has no definitive explanation. Linguistic studies refute the common belief that “white” is a mistranslation of either the Afrikaans word wyd or the Dutch word wijd (or its various potential spellings whyde, weit, etc.) meaning “wide” and alluding to the rhino’s square lips.

White rhinos have a massive physique, a big head, a short neck, and a wide chest. Males weigh 2,400 kg (1,000 lb) and females 1,600 kg (4,000 lb) (5,000 lb). The shoulder height is 1.8–2 m (5.9–6.6 ft), while the head and body length is 3.5–4.6 m (11–15 ft). It has two horns on its nose. The front horn is longer than the other, averaging 90 cm (35 in) in length and reaching 150 cm in length (59 in). The white rhinoceros also has a muscular hump that helps to maintain its enormous head.

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