Indian rhinoceros

« Think of this rhino as being like a unicorn in armour! »

A rhinoceros like no other

The largest of the small rhinos

Do you know about the Indian rhinoceros and how to recognize it? It differs from other rhino subspecies in various ways.
Like other subspecies its firm, tough skin looks like a form of natural armour, yet it is much darker in colour than that of other rhinoceroses. The Indian rhino is also the largest of the three rhino species living in Asia. Despite weighing 2.2 tonnes and measuring 3.5 metres in length, it is nevertheless smaller than its African cousin, the white rhino, which is also housed at Beauval.

Did you know?

All systems are go with the rhinos!

Indian rhinos are having fun!

Coming straight from The Asiatic Plains, enjoy Henna, Sananda, Saathi, and Anjali having some fun together!

The Beauval Nature association

For the past 10 years, the Beauval Nature association has joined forces with field workers to support them in their primary mission of species conservation. Beauval works closely with numerous conservation and research programmes around the world to study and protect endangered species. This everyday action takes place in order to protect our biodiversity.

Get involved with Beauval Nature!

Sahib, the adorable but lazy dad

Sahib, the ZooParc’s male Indian rhino, has a somewhat stolid nature.

He takes life as it comes, avoiding rushing and making the most of the wonderful life he enjoys alongside his family.

On August 28, 2019, his family got a little bit bigger with the birth of little Anjali, a much more energetic individual!

L’actu des rhinocéros

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Learn more about the species

Range

Asia

Diet

Herbivore
Gestation period

16 months
Litter size

1 young
Habitat

Pastures, Wetlands, Tropical forests

Tough but sensitive skin

Despite the thickness of its skin, like all rhinoceroses, the Indian rhinoceros is sensitive to sunburn. It is for this reason that Indian rhinos spend much of their time in swamps or lakes. Its skin is tough on the outside but is much softer in the folds and at the joints. The Indian rhinoceros is therefore particularly sensitive to the bites of parasites, which it is incapable of shooing away itself. It therefore willingly lives alongside insectivorous birds which land on its back and then take it upon themselves to rid the rhino of these nasty critters.

A gigantic unicorn

The Indian rhino’s scientific name is rhinoceros unicornis, the one-horned rhino. Because unlike most of its cousins, particularly those from Africa, this rhino only has one horn! Its horn is also much smaller than those of two-horned species, only measuring up to 60 centimetres tall. Think of this rhino as being like a unicorn in armour!

Indian rhino reproduction and gestation

Indian rhino reproduction can take place all year round. Females reach sexual maturity at four or five years of age, whereas males are capable of reproducing from the age of nine onwards. After mating, the gestation period lasts about 16 months. At birth, the baby rhino’s horn is not yet formed but will grow over the subsequent years. Since his arrival at the ZooParc in 2004, Sahib has already fathered 4 adorable babies, including Anjali, the most recently born calf.