Talk:Rhinoceros/Archive 1

Rhino Lifespan
Why is there no information of the life expectancy of a Rhino in the wild (or in captivity)?

Conservation status
I'm not sure how to, but could someone look into adding that 'conservation status' graphic in the overview section. You'll see it right below the picture on most wikipedia articles about animals but not the rhinoceros page.

The picture
The image showing the relative sizes of the five species is contradictory to the data about sizes on the specific specie pages. The image implies that the indian rhino is the largest, but the white rhino page says it is larger than the indian (or is inplied by the fact that it is said to be the "largest land mammal after the elephant"), and the indian rhino page says it's equal to the white rhino. This is inconsistant or at best misleading. I suspect it is the white rhino which is largest having looked at all the rhino books my dad owns. Every single one says the white is largest. Wuku (talk) 23:33, 19 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Agreed that the picture is confusing, and must be wrong. However, it cannot be fixed by simply changing the captions, since the white rhino has two horns, and the largest rhino from the picture only has one horn. I don't see how the picture can be modified. 190.17.178.56 (talk) 04:15, 1 August 2012 (UTC)

The picture also is inconsistent with the the text Rhinoceros wrt number of horns of Sumatran and Javan rhino (Alexander Mitsos)

There is Six species of non extinct rhino
Black, Northern White, Southern White, Javan, Great Indian and Sumatran. Tho Northern White and Javan there is very few left--Big5Hunter 12:14, 4 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Nope. Just five species: Black, White, Javan, Indian and Sumatran.  Northern White and Southern White are subspecies.  All the sources that I've seen are in agreement with this.  Do you have a reliable source that says northern white rhinos are a distinct species? --JayHenry 16:13, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Sub speciies, so depends at what point you want differentiate them. Well guess it alright to lump them in together. There is only 7 Northern Whites left so guess will just have to erase it from my list and count Southern White as just White Rhino.--Big5Hunter 08:49, 5 October 2007 (UTC)


 * If you wanted to differentiate at the subspecies level you'd probably also have to count the four subspecies of black rhinos, the three subspecies of Javan Rhino, etc. There are lots of Species and subspecies! --JayHenry 18:27, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

Recent Research
According to recent research from the University at Buffalo, "the modern animal that has no predators in the wild, except for man, is the rhinoceros and that probably was the case as long as nine million years ago".

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040407081342.htm http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=66420009

(2004-04-14T03:43+0000)

Nocturnal?
These animals are linked from Nocturnal animal but are they really nocturnal? NormalAsylum (t) 02:39, 8 September 2005 (UTC)

can someone please post comments on the digestin system for rhinosoruses??

rhinoceros
the indian rhinoceros has one horn (both male and female), and its skin has loose folds and rivet-like knobs which make it appear armored. A female indian rhino weights about 140000lb

African cookery
The legs and feet of the rhinoceros are cooked in the following fashion by certain tribes in the south of Africa. First, one would find an ant nest, composed of hard clay and shaped roughly like a baker's oven, ranging from two to four feet in height. Then, one would hollow them out, removing the ants in the process. The space thus obtained is filled with burning wood, until the bottom and sides become red hot within. The embers of the wood are then removed, the leg or foot of the rhinoceros introduced, and a door closed up with heated clay and embers. Fire is then also made on the outside, covering the nest, and the meat is left to cook for several hours. This dish is considered a delicacy by many of the native tribes.

This information sounds bogus, please provide references, or at least tell which tribes do this.

I moved the above by anon from a comment to the talk page.Leibniz 18:13, 28 January 2006 (UTC)

Added plurals
Marked it as a minor edit, but I added the two plural forms of the name. My source was Dictionary.com. Runa27 21:28, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Hybrid
Does anybody know of any instance of hybridization between rhino species?. I have searched the internet endlessly and have found nothing on the subject. If nobody knows, I would at least like to hear opinions on the matter. P.S. If this post looks familiar it is because I typed the same message on Talk:Ratite & Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Birds, except it was about ratites, not rhinos.

I have been checking this entry daily for weeks and still no answer. PLEASE!!!!!!! the next person to look at this discussion, write your opinion or show me a more public place to write this question.


 * It's impossible for hybridization to occur between different genera. All rhinos have their own genus, so....... Jerkov 18:30, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

It so happens that it is not impossible & I have heard of & seen a great many intergeneric hybrids & even some that cross family boundaries (documented, not just rumors).


 * How about the fourth bullet point in the reference section - * -- ALoan (Talk) 20:26, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

I don't see the fourth bullet point. Could you quote? P.S. Excuse me for not writing the date on the other ocasions but I do not remember when I made the first & second statement & my third statement was a few minutes ago. I am the guy who posted the question. 20:40, 24 July 2006


 * I quoted the whole thing above! See the link above to the abstract of a paper on "Interspecific hybridisation in rhinoceroses: Confirmation of a Black × White rhinoceros hybrid ..." -- ALoan (Talk) 20:42, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm sorry but, I'm not used to reading such pages. I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say bullet point. If it means what I think it means, I do not see a fourth one in the page. 20:48, 24 July 2006

My mistake, I thought you were making a comment on my reply to the last person to answer the page, and not to the original statement. I see the point now but I still don't see where the fourth bullet point fits in with this. 20:49, 24 July 2006


 * Sorry - let me be more explicit. There is a section towards the end of the article Rhinoceros (not on this page, which is the talk page, Talk:Rhinoceros) entitled "References".  That section has four bullet points.  The fourth bullet point refers to the paper in Conservation Genetics by Robinson et al, to which I give a link above. -- ALoan (Talk) 21:42, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

I must be blind because I didn't notice till now that you had wrote *reference section* in your first quote. I see now. Back to your point... According to that article a confirmed hybrid between the african rhinos has been found? What was it's age, behaviour & morphology? Do they have any pictures? Where was it found? How come, despite my searches, I never came across such an article?. - 12:00, 25 July 2006


 * So genetically crossing species from different genera is possible! I take it they must still be in the same family? Jerkov 23:12, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

Usually they are from the same family, but that is not always the case. Most clasification schemes place the guineafowl in a different family from the chicken & peafowl & I have seen fotographs of guinea hybrids with both species: Guin-hens & Pea-guineas. For fotos see

Speed
I came to this article hoping to find out how fast they can run, but didn't see it mentioned anywhere. Then I googled it to see if I could figure it out and possibly add it in here, but the first four hits had four different answers! 40mph, 45kph (27mph), 30mph, and 35mph. Some of those are for black rhinos and some white, but still... .

Anyone who knows something want to take a stab at something more definitive? Blurble 15:57, 13 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Maybe you should just say "Between 30 & 40 mph". - 17:56, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Redirect
Shouldn't "Rhino" redirect here? instead of the disambiguation? 8thstar 18:32, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Groups
Does anyone know if a rhinoceros lives in a group or a small family? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.154.22.72 (talk) 23:29, 17 April 2007 (UTC).

Who edited the new introduction to this page..it had merit. I vote to change it back. Blurble

So do i 8thstar

and me ALoan kira these are rhinos that are extincd and are still alive) Acerorhinus (extinct) Alicornops (extinct) Aphelops (extinct) Chilotheridium (extinct) Chilotherium (extinct) Dromoceratherium (extinct) Floridaceras (extinct) Hoploaceratherium (extinct) Mesaceratherium (extinct) Peraceras (extinct) Plesiaceratherium (extinct) Proaceratherium (extinct) Sinorhinus (extinct) Subchilotherium (extinct) Tribe Teleoceratini Aprotodon (extinct) Brachydiceratherium (extinct) Brachypodella (extinct) Brachypotherium (extinct) Diaceratherium (extinct) Prosantorhinus (extinct) Shennongtherium (extinct) Teleoceras (extinct) Tribe Rhinocerotini Gaindatherium (extinct) Rhinoceros - Indian & Javan Rhinoceros Tribe Dicerorhinini Coelodonta - Woolly Rhinoceros (extinct) Dicerorhinus - Sumatran Rhinoceros Dihoplus (extinct) Lartetotherium (extinct) Stephanorhinus (extinct) Tribe Ceratotheriini Ceratotherium - White Rhinoceros Tribe Dicerotini Diceros - Black Rhinoceros Paradiceros (extinct) Subfamily Elasmotheriinae Gulfoceras (extinct) Tribe Diceratheriini Diceratherium (extinct) Subhyracodon (extinct) Trigodon (extinct) Tribe Elasmotheriini Bugtirhinus (extinct) Caementodon (extinct) Elasmotherium - Giant Unicorn (extinct) Hispanotherium (extinct) Huaqingtherium (extinct) Iranotherium (extinct) Kenyatherium (extinct) Menoceras (extinct) Ougandatherium (extinct) Parelasmotherium (extinct) Procoelodonta (extinct) Sinotherium (extinct) Subfamily Arsinotherinae Tribe Arsinotheriini rhinos are friends not fou ok by kira

List
The very long list of red links should be moved to the end of the article not to break the prose flow.--SidiLemine 12:15, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Horn Composition
The first paragraph of this article contained an incorrect assertion about the composition of the rhino horn, which actually contradicted statements made later on in the article. I have corrected and sourced it. Lumbergh 15:06, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm altering the phrasing a bit because the way it's stated might be a bit confusing. --CKeelty 14:53, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

Deadliest Wildlife?
Poisonous snakes cause hundreds of deaths in India each year. Could rhino attacks really cause more? They don't really want to harm us. But their eye sight forbids it. When they see us, they think we are other rhinos in their territory. They shouldn't be known as a threat but it be better to try to keep distance.

Orb4peace 05:37, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Depends on if you want specific species or species groups etc. Hippos cause the most deaths by far for a specific speciies. Snakes would be the most by class/group.--Big5Hunter 12:07, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Horn medicinal uses
The statement that the horn is efficacious in reducing fever and convulsions was not followed by a reference to an emprical study. As such, this suggestion was removed and should remain so unless clear scientific support for the efficacy of the horn in treating fevers and convulsions may be foundJamesStewart7 07:54, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Rhinoceros itself
And, as long as I'm talking to myself, I might as well muse about the state of Rhinoceros. I recently added each of the species as a level 3 subhead. I think this is the ideal use of summary style. Makes it clear, just from skimming the table of contents, what the five species are. Also I think it's obviously essential to briefly summarize the species. Following this, a comprehensive section on Rhinoceros evolution, including a discussion of extinct rhinoceros seems about right. I'm unsure about the list of tribes and genera that's currently included. I can't tell what the source for this particular tree is, and it varies quite a bit from other trees. A physical description section could include the basic physical characteristics that rhinos share and then perhaps a table that compares various aspects of the different species' size and behavior. Next, although specific in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts are probably best suited for the individual species, the issue of the trade in rhinoceros and its use in Traditional Chinese Medicine is probably best-suited for here. The rhino horn trade transcends species. Also I think the Cultural Depictions section should mostly be here. In Europe the earliest rhinos were Indian: Durer's, Clara, etc., but the rhinoceros "in popular culture" has been mostly non-speciated. Does anyone have other ideas of what material is needed here to make this comprehensive? Or different suggestions for structure? --JayHenry 22:38, 30 October 2007 (UTC)

Rhinoceros framework
I'm trying to develop a general structure for Javan Rhinoceros that would work for all rhino articles. Currently, the structure I have is mostly modeled after Lion and Pygmy Hippopotamus. I have the case of the Javan Rhinoceros below, and I'm actually pretty happy with this structure. I like combining the major in situ and ex situ projects under the conservation heading, though many animal articles seem to break "in zoos" or "in captivity" into a "relation with humans" category. This didn't seem appropriate to me -- at least for the Javan Rhino -- because they essentially have no relations with humans beyond conservation. I find that habitat, distribution and conservation have a tremendous amount of overlap, so I'm never sure the best way to divide it up.


 * 1 Taxonomy and origins
 * 1.1 Evolution (which links back to the main article at Rhinoceros)
 * (Maybe make "Subspecies" its own subhead here)
 * 2 Description (or "Physical characteristics," I see no need for subcats for the rhino species)
 * 3 Distribution and habitat
 * 4 Behavior (for the other rhino species "social life" would be here as well)
 * 4.1 Diet
 * 4.2 Reproduction
 * 5 Conservation
 * 5.1 Ujung Kulon
 * 5.2 Cat Tien
 * 5.3 Javan rhinos in zoos
 * (For Indian Rhinoceros, at least, a cultural depictions section might be called for)
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

If anybody's watching this page and has any suggestions input would be much appreciated. --JayHenry 05:16, 30 October 2007 (UTC)
 * Adjusted per guidance at Javan Rhinoceros FAC. Placed distribution above behavior. --JayHenry 06:28, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

Taxobox image
I don't see any improvements in the new taxobox image. I vote we revert it to the old one, which was more close-up and detailed. Bob the Wikipedian, the Tree of Life WikiDragon (talk) 16:48, 30 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I agree. The photo should give a really good idea of what the animal looks like.  We should imagine that the picture is selected for someone who has never before seen a rhino. --JayHenry (talk) 02:39, 1 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Reverting the image. Any objections, take them up here. Bob the Wikipedian, the Tree of Life WikiDragon (talk) 02:44, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

White Rhino
See the WWF video of the white Rhino, which certainly IS nocturnal. http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/displayPR.cfm?prID=379&enews=enews0507t

I am intrugied by wight rinos —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.177.140 (talk) 15:31, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Etymologie
"The word "rhinoceros" (ῤινόκερως) is derived from the Greek words rhino, meaning nose, and kera"

I changed in the Greek word Omikron against Omega.

With Omikron it is Modern Greek. But I suppose etymologie is done with ancient Greek, were you have an Omega. See f.e. Strabo 16.4.15 or Aelianus "De Natura Animalium" 17.44. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.58.247.31 (talk) 07:54, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

White / Wyd
The article contains the assertion that the term "White" is a corruption of an Afrikaans word, "wyd", meaning "broad". That belief is certainly widespread, but no evidence for it is offered in the article and the assertion has been (to my eye) quite carefully debunked; here's an article by Kees Rookmaaker in a 2003 edition of Pachyderm, the journal of the African Elephant, African Rhino and Asian Rhino Specialist Groups:. It concludes that the etymology was invented in the 1950s and "It is ... impossible that white in white rhinoceros is a corruption of wijd or any other Dutch or Afrikaans word of the early 19th century…. This derivation should no longer be used in popular texts to explain the name of the rhinoceros called 'white'."

I don't claim sufficient expertise on this subject to edit the page at the moment - is anyone else familiar with this issue? Piers Fletcher (talk) 15:44, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

The bird that eats the parasites of rhinos (at least in Africa) isn't mentioned anywhere, also not in the main articles of the different rhinos.

Ch!pzdance (talk) 17:17, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

Endangered status vs. horn
The section on the rhino horn only has one sentence about the horn and many more about the edangered status... Should we add a new section for information about the rhino's endagered status, and maybe add the horn info to another section?
 * And it doesn't say what the horn is for. ErikHaugen (talk) 07:58, 20 February 2009 (UTC)

Dürer's woodcut
For someone who had never seen one, that "inaccurate depiction" actually looks remarkably accurate. Indeed, as I was reading through this article, and saw the, my first thought was "Wow - that looks just like that famous old engraving!"

More importantly (given that the talk page should be for discusing improvements to the article, rather than just commenting on the subject), the words "without ever seeing the animal depicted" are ambiguous and confusing - I read it as meaning he had never seen a depiction of the animal, rather than (presumably) meaning he hadn't seed the animal that he was depicting. I have reworded it to be clearer and in agreement with the article on D%C3%BCrer%27s_Rhinoceros. Wardog (talk) 09:45, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

unicorn/rhinoceros?
I seem to be missing a bit of info regarding medieval warping of the image of the rhinoceros due to description of it surviving only through Classical texts. In due time the rhinoceros became a unicorn and an iconographic background was laid.

Der Neue Pauly: Enzyklopädie der Antike, 8th part, page 722, lemma Nashorn —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.125.176.73 (talk) 14:13, 21 April 2010 (UTC)

DO RHINOS MATE FOR EVER
DO RHINOS MATE FOR EVER! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.159.123.65 (talk) 23:07, 26 February 2009 (UTC)
 * No, just for 2-3 minutes, just like we humans. Mike R (talk) 21:48, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

LOL! Nice one Mike! :) DaveDodgy (talk) 16:34, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Rhino horn medicine
Don't African tribes believe that rhino horns induce boners? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 171.66.90.248 (talk) 21:15, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

Highest number of chromosomes of all mammals?
This article mentions the Black Rhino has the highest number of chromosomes of all mammals (84). But I also found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyomys_pittieri (which has 92).


 * That reference looks pretty reliable, so I'll make the edit. If anyone can find something reliable and contradictory, revert or add a bit about that dispute?TjoeC (talk) 19:41, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

genus names
In the section about taxonomy and naming, I am confused because it says that the black and white rhino belong to the same genus (Diceros), but the section about the white rhino places it in the Ceratotherium genus. Melissa.k.d (talk) 17:56, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

Kneeless?
That must be a joke or something. The femur connects to the tibia the same as any other tetrapod. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 04:39, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Taxonomy and naming
I have removed the sentence on the two subspecies of White Rhino as this is already covered, in more detail, in the 'White Rhino' Section of the article.

I have also removed the sentence on the supposed origins of the White Rhino's name, which again is already covered in the 'White Rhino' Section.Glevum (talk) 05:05, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

White Rhino
Modifed using info from the wiki article on the White RhinosGlevum (talk) 05:05, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

info to put in relation with rhino horn
Scientists Crack Rhino Horn Riddle Monday Nov 06, 2006. http://news.research.ohiou.edu/news/index.php?item=338

It's apparently quite new and important> The study also ends speculation that the horn was simply a clump of modified hair. ++

Hmmm. I'm no biologist but this sounds important, and yet the third paragraph of the introduction of this Wikipedia article says that the horn is hair. And then under the section "Rhinoceros horns" it says it's keratin.Batman080580 19:48, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

The source for the statement about the horn being hair says nothing of the sort. And the statements about hair and keratin are not contradictory hair is made of keratin.

Should there be something in the horn section on the use/function/purpose of the horn by the animal and not just its use by humans. are "docked' rhinos at a disadvantage for self defense or grubbing up food ?--— ⦿⨦⨀Tumadoireacht Talk/Stalk 02:40, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Evolution: Indricotherium
First, it should apparently be Paraceratherium, not Indricotherium. Second, the measurements given for this rhino ancestor are much larger than those given in the Paraceratherium article. Which ones are correct? -- 37.251.47.38 (talk) 18:45, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Oh, it gets worse. The image lower on the page, beside the list of genera, has yet different measurements for Indricotherium/Paraceratherium. -- 37.251.47.38 (talk) 18:55, 3 July 2013 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 17 January 2014
In the wild, black rhinoceroses are preyed upon by humans and lions. Brain, C., Forge, O. & Erb, P. (1999). Lion predation on black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in Etosha National Park. Afr. J. Ecol. 37: 107–109. (http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/117/1175858056.pdf)


 * Thanks, but this article already mentions that young rhinos can be preyed upon by big cats, and Black rhinoceros mentions lions specifically. Adrian J. Hunter(talk•contribs) 00:49, 20 January 2014 (UTC)

Horn devaluing
This was reported by many UK and asian papers and news channels with fewer details (specific ingredients not reported for security reasons):

In 2011 the Rhino Rescue Project, organzed by Ed and Lorinda Hern of the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve in Krugersdorp South Africa, began a horn-trade control method consisting of infusing the horns (while on the animal) with a mixture of a pink dye and an acaricide (to kill ticks) which is safe for rhinos but toxic to humans. After sedating the animal, holes are drilled into the horns, fittings added, and the cavity connected with rubber hoses to a 2 foot by 4 inch diameter metal container of the liquid mixture which is then pressurized. The infusion takes less than 20 minutes of the 45 minutes of anesthesia; because of the effect of the mass of the animals on their internal organs, they are rolled every 7 minutes while sedated. The procedure also includes inserting three RFID identification chips and taking DNA samples.

Because of the fibrous nature of rhino horn, the pressurized dye infuses the interior of the horn but does not color the surface or affect rhino behavior. The acaricide is expected to cause nausea, stomach-ache and diarrhea, or convulsions for anyone consuming the horn in Traditional Chinese Medicine, depending on the quantity, but would not be fatal; the primary deterrent being the knowledge that the treatment has been applied, communicated by signs posted at the refuges. The original idea grew out of research looking into using the horn as a resevoir for one-time tick treatments, and the acaricide is selected to be safe for the rhino, oxpeckers, vultures, and other animals in the preserve's ecosystem. It was reported that only one out of 150 rhinos treated did not survive the anesthesia.

It was claimed that the dye can not be successfully removed from horns, and would remain visible on x-ray scanners even when the horn is ground to a fine powder.

165.121.80.102 (talk) 07:47, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Sam Sailor Sing 14:18, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

Contradiction?
The statement "The Indian rhinoceros, or greater one-horned rhinoceros, (Rhinoceros unicornis) has a single horn 20 to 100 cm long. Its size is comparable to that of the white rhino in Africa." appears to contradict the "Comparison between extant rhinoceros species" image. --Guy Macon (talk) 19:38, 2 June 2014 (UTC)
 * The Indian Rhino doesn't appear to be in the "comparison between extant rhinoceros species" image. The size descriptions in the article are phrased differently enough that they are not directly comparable.  In Encyclopedia of the Animal World (1972) p.1537, the white rhino is listed at 3 tons and the Indian rhino at 2.5 tons, so I'll change "comparable to" to "nearly as large as" with additional rewording as necessary.--Wikimedes (talk) 19:06, 29 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Oops. I see now that the Indian rhino is also called the greater one horned rhino, and it does indeed appear to be significantly larger than the white rhino in the image.  Shoulder heights appear to be comparable white: 1.8-2m, Indian: 1.75-2m (this article); 1.7-1.85m (White rhinoceros), 1.63-1.93m (Indian rhinoceros), these last two are both referencing The New Encyclopedia of Mammals by Macdonald.  It might be worth going to the image's Commons page and requesting that the white and Indian rhino sizes be altered accordingly, or adding an explanatory note to the caption that the Indian rhino is drawn larger so that it can be seen, if this is in fact the case.--Wikimedes (talk) 21:45, 30 June 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 20 July 2014
I'd like to delete the image that compares the size of the species in the "taxonomy and naming" paragraph. , since it is inconsistent with the data given in the article and its accuracy was already questioned previously by other users

Coda90 (talk) 10:01, 20 July 2014 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. — cyberpower ChatOnline 16:08, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 22 August 2014
The section under "Indian Rhinoceros" claims that the Indian Rhinoceros is "almost as big as the White Rhinoceros." Yet, a diagram on the page contradicts this statement. The diagram shows that the Indian Rhinoceros is actually bigger than the White Rhinoceros. The quoted phrase above should be changed to, "The Indian Rhinoceros is bigger than the White Rhinoceros" instead of "almost as big." If the White Rhino is actually bigger than the Indian Rhino, then the diagram needs to be removed. Either the diagram or the statement is incorrect and one of them needs to be removed/changed because currently there are two conflicting statements on this page.

Thewikipedian13 (talk) 18:01, 22 August 2014 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Based on the image's description, it was created when the Indian rhinoceros was listed as 2+ meters in height. This article, as well as the main article for white and indian rhinoceros, all states that the white is larger. -- ferret (talk) 19:37, 22 August 2014 (UTC)

Split off Rhinocerotoidea
This article is way too inclusive, it should only cover the family level Rhinocerotidae, and the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea should be split off, which will also make this more readable and less unwieldy. FunkMonk (talk) 17:04, 10 November 2014 (UTC)

Anti-poaching tech
Huge amount of press lately on this; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rhinos-horns-to-be-fitted-with-spy-cameras-and-alarms-to-help-catch-poachers-10400423.html http://www.weareprotect.org

No mention in the article even though there's three paras on the horn infusion stuff which apparently doesn't work? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Coffeefilms (talk • contribs) 13:24, 4 August 2015 (UTC)

contraction needed?
"most of the poaching which has shot up to record levels.[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59]"

This passage has a ridiculous number of references. Is there any way to abbreviate this for the sake of legibility? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.56.84.242 (talk) 01:07, 28 February 2016 (UTC)


 * Someone added another reference. Bataaf van Oranje (Prinsgezinde) (talk) 19:18, 20 May 2016 (UTC)

Extinction
How can this passage from the article be correct?:

Rhinos became extinct during the Pliocene in North America, and during the Pleistocene in northern Asia and Europe.

If they became extinct, how are they still living?

Jeffme 05:24, 12 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Enphasis in the words North America, Asia and Europe. It is possible for an animal to become extinct in certain places without becoming extinct worldwide. It's called localized extinction and it did indeed happen to the native rhinos of the aformentioned places.

thats not what the wiki page says!A12bc34be5 (talk) 07:39, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Habits of Black Rhino vs. White Rhino
I would like to see a little more information on the habits of the various species, such as feeding, breeding, etc.

The park rangers at Kruger National Park, and at Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Park have pointed out that the White Rhino is primarily a ground feeder, while the Black Rhino is primarily an above-ground feeder. Indeed, one of the main reasons that the Black Rhino is much harder to see in South Africa is because it is usually spending most of its time in thick brush and wooded areas, feeding off of the leaves and branches. In contrast, the White Rhinos are very easily spotted grazing in open areas.

Is there a way to tell the difference between the Northern and Southern White Rhinos? What is the range of these two subspecies? Is it mainly a geographical distinction, or are there biological differences? John85730 21:51, 31 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Hi John, I guess this isn't obvious enough from the article. If you look at the pages for each of the species you can find the information you're talking about.  Here are the articles: Sumatran Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros and the Black Rhinoceros. --JayHenry 23:13, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Northern and Southern shouldnt even get a mention, there is very little difference.A12bc34be5 (talk) 07:41, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Plural
I suggest that the only linguistically acceptable plural of 'rhinoceros' is 'rhinocerotes'.The word was Greek before being assimilated into Latin, and 'rhinoceri' is particularly unacceptable.Colcestrian 01:38, 10 November 2007 (UTC)


 * I can't find a English dictionary that has anything but rhinoceros or rhinoceroses for the plural. Etymology should not matter in this case.


 * Of course the plural in English is rhinoceroses. There's a term for examples like that above which assumes that rhinocerotes is valid (or even preferable) because of Greek grammar.  Rhinocerotes is an example of "hypercorrection".  It is completely incorrect; no academic source has ever used it, to my knowledge. --JayHenry (talk) 18:28, 12 January 2008 (UTC)


 * In English, the plural depends on the usage. "Rhinoceros" as an individual animal is pluralized "rhinoceri".  "Rhinoceros" as an entire species, however, should be pluralized "rhinoceroses".  In general, the pluralization of the entire species always adds an "s", ignoring all other rules.  Examples: deer, deer, deers; goose, geese, gooses; mouse, mice, mouses. Bob the Wikipedian, the Tree of Life WikiDragon (talk) 16:59, 30 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Bob, I've read an extremely wide selection of zoological and conservation literature about the rhino and I don't believe that's correct. As far as I can tell rhinoceri is not in common use among people that study rhinos.  I've never seen this rule about rhinoceri.  Where did that come from?  I'm open to being proved incorrect. --JayHenry (talk) 22:55, 30 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I'm speaking as a layperson here, not a rhino scientist. At least around here, it is pretty well agreed among laypersons that it's rhinoceri.  Whether that is true is another story.  Thanks for flagging me on that...this may be another one of those words that people can't seem to get right, "irregardless" :) of the amount of literature they read. Bob the Wikipedian, the Tree of Life WikiDragon (talk) 02:04, 1 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Wiktionary on Rhinoceros. You'll see here that I was wrong about "rhinoceri". Apparently it's a common mistake.  I'll try to make sure I point that out next time someone says it.  :) Bob the Wikipedian, the Tree of Life WikiDragon (talk) 02:08, 1 May 2008 (UTC)


 * I wonder if part of the reason people like to say rhinoceri is an association with hippopotami. I think a lot of people associate the hippopotamus and rhinoceros.  Hippopotami actually is used occasionally and still recognized in most dictionaries, thus probably contributing to the perception that rhinoceri is as well.  Just a theory though, thanks for looking into this! --JayHenry (talk) 02:38, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

It all depends on what you like, theres not a council that decides what mutiple animals are called or the names for groups of animals.A12bc34be5 (talk) 07:45, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Category
Shouldn't Rhinoceros be included in Category:Dinosaurs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.49.23.173 (talk) 15:09, 7 January 2011 (UTC)


 * No, since they're not in any way dinosaurs, but rather prehistoric-looking mammals.TjoeC (talk) 19:38, 15 January 2011 (UTC)

no but chickens should be!--A12bc34be5 (talk) 07:48, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Sumatran rhinoceros hair
As far as I can tell, the Sumatran rhinoceros doesn't have fur, but a sparse coat of guard hairs. Because guard hairs usually don't provide any thermoregulatory benefits in other mammals, the claim that hair allows the Sumatran rhino to live at high elevation is dubious. I've removed it: but, if there is a good source for it, it can be reinstated. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tennesseellum (talk • contribs) 21:07, 17 July 2012 (UTC)

fur is hair, just usually at a certain level, no hard standards--A12bc34be5 (talk) 07:52, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Trophy fee for rhino is now 10,000$ us an inch
Trophy fee for rhino is now 10,000$ us an inchA12bc34be5 (talk) 07:55, 12 August 2016 (UTC)

Market for rhino horn in Europe?
"Some wealthy Vietnamese inhale the powdered horn as a status symbol; in Europe and Vietnam, rhino horn is believed by some to have aphrodisiac properties." - There is no source for this being believed by some in Europe, and it seems unlikely that there is any significant market in Europe. — Preceding unsigned comment added by VonPalm (talk • contribs) 09:09, 13 August 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 October 2016
Edit :

in Europe[46] and Vietnam, rhino horn is believed by some to have aphrodisiac properties.

The citation links to a page of unknown veracity that states that in the 17th C rhino horn was used as an aphrodisiac:

http://janiallan.com/2013/12/06/rhinos-siege-poachers-customers-siege/

There is no comment on the current belief in Europe of use of the rhino horn as an aphrodisiac and I have not been able to find any other sources on the topic.

Looks to me like the page has been vandalised.

Deuxdavid (talk) 14:54, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: the claim in the article matches its citation. &mdash;Skyllfully (talk &#124; contribs) 22:00, 23 October 2016 (UTC)

White or Indian, Which Is Bigger?
The section on White rhinos claims that they're the largest species with a weight for males listed as 2400 kg. or 5,000 pounds. The section on the Indian rhino, however, while stating that Indian rhinos are nearly as large, lists the maximum weight of Indian males as far greater than any weight listed for white males: '2,500–3,200 kg (5,500–7,100 lb).' And 'The record-sized specimen was approximately 3,800 kg.' This last number is over a third larger than the weight listed for white males. As this is not my field, I can't quickly do the research to correct it but I thought it important to point out the obvious error. RobotBoy66 (talk) 09:20, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

Vietnam beats China in Rhino horn consumption and is driving most of the current rhino horn trade
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/why-does-a-rhino-horn-cost-300-000-because-vietnam-thinks-it-cures-cancer-and-hangovers/275881/

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26081168

http://www.wildaid.org/rhinos

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2013/05/14/181587969/Vietnams-Appetite-For-Rhino-Horn-Drives-Poaching-In-Africa

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/ferrari-factor-how-vietnams-wealthy-elite-have-made-rhino-horn-worth-its-weight-in-gold-9080021.html

http://www.dw.de/worldwide-rhino-horn-trade-continues-unabated/a-17798289

http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/the_vietnam_question

http://www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/tackling_the_demand_for_rhino_horn

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_public_relations_drive_to_stop_illegal_rhino_horn_trade/2756/

Rajmaan (talk) 05:01, 7 July 2014 (UTC)

This section's coverage blaming Vietnam and western media for the current market and aphrodisiac properties seems to be doing so in an effort to ignore the fact that it was prescribed in Chinese medicine for thousands of years:

Though rhino horn elixirs for fevers and liver problems were first prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine more than 1,800 years ago https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/why-does-a-rhino-horn-cost-300-000-because-vietnam-thinks-it-cures-cancer-and-hangovers/275881/

Rhino horn has been an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. http://www.rhinoremedy.org/medicine/point-less-rhinos

Rhino horn is a time-honored component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). For thousands of years, TCM has credited rhino horn with the potency to cure an unusually wide array of maladies, from headaches to pus-filled boils–and even devil possession. http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2010/07/07/rhino_horn_and_traditional_chinese_medicine_facts/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.22.170.39 (talk) 17:21, 10 April 2017 (UTC)

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Semi-protected edit request on 9 June 2017
Under Rhinocerotidae, second paragraph, fifth sentence - the author states that early humans caused the extinction of the wooly rhinoceros in Europe. This requires either a citation of evidence or a modifying statement with citations, such as - "It is current scientific opinion that early humans caused the extinction of the wooly rhinoceros". My thought on this is that, unless evidence exists to support the statement, the extinction was probably multifactorial, involving more factors than just human hunting. 216.16.132.60 (talk) 16:02, 9 June 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Eggishorn (talk) (contrib) 23:34, 9 June 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 July 2017
I am unsure whether I can edit as it is Semi-protected so I will just point out ref [4] link is bad. http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/Questions/rhino.html gives "the website www.yesmag.bc.ca cannot be found". "What is a rhino's horn made out of?" at https://www.reference.com/science/rhino-s-horn-made-out-5e596395c39016d7 is good today 6th July 2017. Iph (talk) 23:37, 5 July 2017 (UTC)
 * ✅ I replaced the deadlink with its Internet Archive equivalent. Eggishorn (talk) (contrib) 01:03, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Wikipedia needs to decide what a rhinoceros is
Right now, anything even remotely related to a rhinoceros is called a rhinoceros, despite the fact that this page defines a rhinoceros as belonging to the family Rhinocerotidae. The pages on Indricotherium and Indricotheriinae (or is it Paraceratherium and Paraceratheriidae? That needs clearing up too) refer to those creatures as rhinoceroses, as does the page on Hyracodontidae. I am perfectly fine with the idea of members of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea being called "rhinoceroses", in the same sense that members of the family felidae are called "cats", but the two terms are not synonymous. At the very least, Rhinocerotoidea should not redirect here.  Serendi pod ous  12:56, 18 March 2018 (UTC)
 * OK. I've created the page Rhinocerotoidea, but we still need to decide if the term "rhinoceroses" applies to all of them.  Serendi pod ous  14:21, 18 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Historically speaking, the term "rhinoceros" applies to both members of Rhinocerotidae in particular, and Rhinocerotoidea in general.--Mr Fink (talk) 14:51, 18 March 2018 (UTC)

Repetition on Trade and Use section
8th Paragraph, second line says the following:

Depending on the quantity of horn a person consumes, experts believe the acaricide would cause nausea, stomach-ache, and diarrhea, and possibly convulsions, depending on the quantity.

The second "depending on the quantity" should be removed. Raddle.me (talk) 19:50, 22 May 2019 (UTC)


 * I agree, and have done so. Thanks for pointing this out.  Just as a note: you can – and should! – sign messages on talk pages by typing four tildes ( ~ ) at the end of your message.  That leaves your user name and the date, so that people know who left the message and when.  Best, Wham2001 (talk) 19:38, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Thanks, will do. Raddle.me (talk) 19:50, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 May 2020
insert citation in paragraph 3 after 'Rhinoceros are killed by some humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and used by some cultures for ornaments or traditional medicine': Van Uhm, D.P. (2016) The Illegal Wildlife Trade: Inside the World of Poachers, Smugglers and Traders (Studies of Organized Crime). New York: Springer. Link: https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319421285 Anaa2121 (talk) 10:30, 16 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done! GoingBatty (talk) 14:51, 16 May 2020 (UTC)

Adding an Elasmotheriine genus
I just noticed that the Elasmotheriinae section under the "Evolution" subheading doesn't list Samburuceros ishidai which was described in 2017. Paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S001669951630064X I'm new to Wikipedia editing so I don't know if someone will put that in now, or if I have to add that in with permission. KingRexy328 (talk) 18:46, 12 December 2020 (UTC)

Article picture
I thought there were five extant species of rhinoceros, why do I only see four in the lead. Can you please make another collage and add the Javan rhinoceros. 20 upper (talk) 17:51, 28 January 2023 (UTC)