Indian Rhinoceros

Intro The Indian rhinoceros, also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros or Indian rhino, is a species of rhinoceros found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the second largest living rhinoceros species, with adult males weighing 2.07–2.2 t and adult females 1.6 t. Indian rhinos are grazers, meaning the bulk of their diet is made up of grasses. They have a prehensile lip that allows them to grasp plants and bite accurately. In addition to grasses, greater one-horned rhinos will also eat leaves, branches from shrubs and trees, and various fruits. Due to it's large size, the Indian rhino's only real predator in the wild are large wild cats such as tigers that will prey on the Indian rhino calves and weak individuals. The Indian rhino's scientific name is Rhinoceros unicornis. The total Indian rhinoceros population was estimated to be 4,014 individuals, up from 2,577. Among them, 3,262 are in India and the remaining 752 are in Nepal and Bhutan. Their segmented hide looks like a formidable coat of natural body armor. It functions a bit like one also: Flexible skin between the thicker hide “plates” allows them to shift as the rhinoceros moves.