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Rhinocerotidae:
The rhinoceros (IPA: [ɹɑɪˈnɒsəɹəs], commonly called rhino for short; plural can be either rhinoceros or rhinoceroses)(rhinoceros is greek. rhino for nose, ceros for horn: horn-nosed.) is any of five surviving species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. All five species are native to Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. Most species of rhino are endangered. Rhinoceros is also one of the genera in this family. The family is characterised by: large size (one of the few remaining megafauna surviving today) with all of the species capable of reaching one tonne or more in weight; a horn on the center of the forehead (sometimes with a second one behind it); herbivorous diet; and a thick protective skin, 1.5-5 cm thick, formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. Rhinoceros also have acute hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight over any distance. Most rhinoceros live to be about 50 years old or more. A male rhinoceros is called a bull, a female a cow, and the young a calf; a group of rhinoceros is called a "crash". |
