One horned rhino or two horned rhino?

Which rhinos have one horn and which rhinos have two horns?

African rhinos have two horns.

The Sumatran rhino has two horns.

The Indian rhino has one horn.

The rare Javan rhino from Indonesia has one horn.

African rhinoceros

an African rhinoceros

 

Rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’ but the word is usually shortened to rhino, which means nose.

The horns are made of a protein called keratin. Human hair and fingernails are also made of keratin.

Some park rangers remove the main horn to stop poachers killing rhinos for the horn.

 

a two horned rhino with one horn cut off

 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

 

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