There are currently five species of rhinoceros on the planet. The Indian rhinoceros, also called the great one-horned rhinoceros, is the second largest member of the rhinoceros family behind the white rhino. Indian rhinos have a body length of up to 13 feet, 7 feet in height, and weighing a little under 5,000 pounds. These measurements are based on the males as they are the larger sex.

The Indian rhinoceros might look like it’s covered in armor but it’s actually brownish-grey skin folds. Their bulky body and large bumps on their legs and shoulders add to this tough look. Some of these folds have a pinkish hue, which is caused by blood vessels that are spread over the body to help regulate body temperature. These rhinoceroses also have one horn on top of their nose that can grow up to 20 inches long and is made purely of keratin.

The Indian rhinoceros can be found in the swamps, forests, and grasslands of India and Nepal. They like to inhabit wet, muddy areas so they can bathe in it when the days become too hot.

Indian rhinoceroses are grazers that are more active during the morning and evening. Their diet consists almost entirely of grass, but they also eat fruits, leaves, aquatic plants, shrubs, and more. Their prehensile upper lip comes in handy here since they can use it to grasp, bend, and bite off the tops of grass. If the grass is too high, they will straddle the plant and push down with their body weight to lower the stalks.

Female Indian rhinoceroses will make whistling sounds to let males know she’s ready to mate. Males fight to the death for the right to mate with females; they don’t fight with their horn, but with their tusk-like incisors. The females will be pregnant for about 16 months, resulting in the birth of a single calf weighing around 150 pounds. There’s a three-year interval between calf births. The Indian rhinoceros calves stay with their mother for several years before traveling off on their own.

The Indian rhinoceros has poor eyesight but makes up for it with amazing hearing and sense of smell. Not only can they use their smell to detect mating partners, but it can also protect them against predators such as tigers that prey on young rhinoceroses. These large mammals may look slow, but they can run at a maximum of 34 mph for short bursts to escape danger!

Indian rhinoceroses are great swimmers. They bathe regularly to help stay cool as their skin flaps can hold water even when they get back on land.

Birds such as mynas and egrets will feed on the parasites that hide in the folds of the rhino’s skin.