Indian rhinoceros
Amazing fact
The Indian rhinoceros curls its upper lip around grass stems and pulls them free to eat.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The Indian rhinoceros curls its upper lip around grass stems and pulls them free to eat.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Indian rhinoceros
- Scientific name
- Rhinoceros unicornis
- Japanese name
- インドサイ
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Perissodactyla
- Family
- Rhinocerotidae
- Genus
- Rhinoceros
It lives in wet grasslands from northeastern India to Nepal, and wallows and bathes in nearby rivers and pools.
The skin around its neck, shoulders and hips folds over in pleats, making it look as if it is wearing armor.
Both males and females have a horn on the nose, and it keeps growing throughout their lives.
How the Indian rhinoceros lives
It is mostly active early in the morning, late in the afternoon and at night. Besides grass, it eats flowers, fruit and branches. Wallowing in water or mud helps it regulate its body temperature. It generally lives alone, though females stay close to their calves.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebBasic data
- Size
- Shoulder height: 150–180 cm多摩動物公園
- Weight
- up to 2,000 kg多摩動物公園
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Grass, leaves, fruit, aquatic plants, and other plants多摩動物公園
- Range
- Northeastern India to Nepal多摩動物公園
Where the Indian rhinoceros has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- インドサイ
- 简体中文
- 印度犀牛
- 繁體中文
- 印度犀牛
- 한국어
- 인도코뿔소
- Español
- Rinoceronte indio
- Français
- Rhinocéros unicorne de l'Inde
- Deutsch
- Indisches Panzernashorn
- Português (Brasil)
- Rinoceronte-indiano
- Italiano
- Rinoceronte indiano
- हिन्दी
- भारतीय गैण्डा
- العربية
- وحيد قرن هندي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Badak India
- Tiếng Việt
- Tê giác Ấn Độ
- Русский
- Индийский носорог
- Türkçe
- Hint gergedanı
- ไทย
- แรดอินเดีย
- বাংলা
- ভারতীয় গণ্ডার
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — インドサイChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Rhinoceros unicornisChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Indian rhinoceros, look for this
- You might see it flatten its ears to warn of danger.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Indian rhinoceros
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Rhinocerotidae
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