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"Rhino" redirects here. For other uses, see Rhino (disambiguation). Rhinoceros Temporal range: Eocene Recent Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) at the Saint Louis Zoo Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Perissodactyla Suborder: Ceratomorpha Superfamily: Rhinocerotoidea Family: Rhinocerotidae Gray, 1820 Extant genera Ceratotherium Dicerorhinus Diceros Rhinoceros Extinct genera

Rhinoceros /ra?'n?s?r?s/, often abbreviated as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to Southern Asia. Members of the rhinoceros family are characterized by their large size (they are some of the largest remaining megafauna, with all of the species able to reach one tonne or more in weight); as well as by an herbivorous diet; a thick protect ive skin, 1.5 5 cm thick, formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice s tructure; relatively small brains for mammals this size (400 600 g); and a large h orn. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food i n their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter, if necessar y. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths, relying instead on their powerful premolar and mo lar teeth to grind up plant food.[1] Rhinoceros are killed by humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on th e black market, and which are used by some cultures for ornamental or traditiona l medicinal purposes. East Asia, specifically Vietnam, is the largest market for rhino horns. Rhino horns cost as much as gold on the black market. People grind up the horns and then consume them believing the dust has therapeutic propertie s.[2] The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails.[3] Both African species and the Sumatran rhinoceros have two h orns, while the Indian and Javan rhinoceros have a single horn. The IUCN Red List identifies three of the species as critically endangered.