Body shape
- Heavy, stocky body
- Short neck
- Large head
- Limbs and feet
- Three, hoofed toes
- Central toe is largest; supports most of the body weight
- Tail
- Small
- Tuft of hair at the tip
- Horns
- 2 horns
- Positioned on the rostrum
- One in front of the other.
- Structure
- Composed of keratin (like true horns)
- No bony core; not attached to skull; not shed
- Grow continually throughout life
Facial characteristics
- Teeth
- Large
- Robust cheek teeth
- No canines or incisors
Adult pelage
- Almost hairless
- Skin grey and exposed
- Deeply folded
- Color often obscured by dirt due to wallowing in mud or dust
Rhinoceros species features
- Largest and smallest species
- Largest - white rhinoceros
- Smallest - Sumatran rhinoceros
Comparison with other rhinos
- Black rhinoceros
- 2 horns
- Skin hairless
- No incisors and low-crowned molars
- Upper lip triangular-shaped and prehensile
- White rhinoceros
- 2 horns
- Skin hairless
- No incisors and high crowned molars
- Upper lip square shaped and not prehensile
- Large hump behind head
- Indian rhinoceros
- 1 horn
- Skin hairless
- Tusk-like lower incisors and high crowned molars
- Prehensile upper lip
- Skin forms heavy folds, like armor plating
- Posterior of neck plate continuous with body
- Large bumps on skin of shoulder, upper arms and upper legs
- Javan rhinoceros
- 1 horn
- Reduced to a horny knob in female
- Skin hairless
- Tusk-like lower incisors and low-crowned molars
- Prehensile upper lip
- Skin forms heavy folds, like armor plating
- Posterior of neck plate separated from body
- Skin with mosaic-like pattern rather than large bumps
- Sumatran rhinoceros
- 2 horns
- Skin hairy
- Lower incisors present but not tusk-like
- Prehensile upper lip
- Skin fold forming only a few divisions
Subspecific characteristics
- D. b. michaeli
- Horns longer, thinner, and more curved
- More aggressive than other subspecies
- D. b. bicornis
- Larger in size
- Horns straighter
- Adapted to a more arid habitat