rhinoceros

rhi·noc·er·os

R0220500 (rī-nŏs′ər-əs)n. pl. rhinoceros or rhi·noc·er·os·es Any of several large thick-skinned ungulate mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, having one or two upright horns on the snout, and including the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) of Africa, the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) of India and Nepal, and the Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) and Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) of Southeast Asia.

[Middle English rinoceros, from Latin rhīnocerōs, from Greek rhīnokerōs : rhīno-, rhino- + keras, horn; see ker- in Indo-European roots.]

rhinoceros

(raɪˈnɒsərəs; -ˈnɒsrəs) n, pl -oses or -os (Animals) any of several perissodactyl mammals constituting the family Rhinocerotidae of SE Asia and Africa and having either one horn on the nose, like the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), or two horns, like the African white rhinoceros (Diceros simus) They have a very thick skin, massive body, and three digits on each foot[C13: via Latin from Greek rhinokerōs, from rhis nose + keras horn] rhinocerotic adj

rhi•noc•er•os

(raɪˈnɒs ər əs)

n., pl. -os•es, (esp. collectively) -os. any of several large, thick-skinned, plant-eating mammals of the family Rhinocerotidae, of Africa and S and SE parts of Asia, with one or two upright horns on the snout. [1300–50; Middle English rinoceros < Latin rhīnoceros < Greek rhīnókerōs=rhīno- rhino- + -kerōs -horned]

rhi·noc·er·os

(rī-nŏs′ər-əs) Any of several large African or Asian mammals having tough, mostly hairless skin, short legs with broad hooves, and one or two upright horns on the snout. Rhinoceroses are plant-eating animals.Word History Two of the largest land mammals, the rhinoceros and hippopotamus, also have rather large names. These names, in fact, tell us something about the animals if we know how to figure it out. The rhinoceros's name comes from Greek and is formed from rhino-, meaning "nose," and keros, meaning "horn." A rhinoceros is thus a "nose-horn." Hippopotamus also comes from Greek and is made of the words hippos, "horse," and potamos, "river." A hippopotamus is therefore a "river horse". The name was invented because hippos spend most of their lives in rivers or other shallow bodies of water (although they are not horses).

rhinoceros

, rhinoceroses - Rhinoceros comes from Greek rhin-, "nose," and keras, "horn"; the correct plural is rhinoceroses.See also related terms for horn.

Thesaurus

Noun

rhinoceros - massive powerful herbivorous odd-toed ungulate of southeast Asia and Africa having very thick skin and one or two horns on the snoutrhinoodd-toed ungulate, perissodactyl, perissodactyl mammal - placental mammals having hooves with an odd number of toes on each footfamily Rhinocerotidae, rhinoceros family, Rhinocerotidae - rhinocerosesIndian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis - having one hornRhinoceros antiquitatis, woolly rhinoceros - extinct thick-haired species of Arctic regionsCeratotherium simum, Diceros simus, white rhinoceros - large light-grey African rhinoceros having two horns; endangered; sometimes placed in genus Dicerosblack rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis - African rhino; in danger of extinction

Translations

犀牛

rhinoceros

(raiˈnosərəs) – plurals rhiˈnoceroses ~rhiˈnoceros – noun a type of large thick-skinned animal with one or two horns on its nose. 犀牛

rhinoceros

rhinoceros,

massive hoofed mammal of Africa, India, and SE Asia, characterized by a snout with one or two horns. The rhinoceros family, along with the horsehorse,
hoofed, herbivorous mammal now represented by a single extant genus, Equus. The term horse commonly refers only to the domestic Equus caballus and to the wild Przewalski's horse.
..... Click the link for more information. and tapirtapir
, nocturnal, herbivorous mammal, genus Tapirus, of the jungles of Central and South America and SE Asia. The tapir is somewhat piglike in appearance; however, it is not related to the pig, but to the horse and the rhinoceros, with which it forms the order of
..... Click the link for more information. families, forms the order of odd-toed hoofed mammals. The five living species, which once ranged widely across Africa and Asia, now consist of remnant populations in protected or remote areas. All are listed as endangered, with the exception of one subspecies of the white rhinoceros.

The skin of the rhinoceros is extremely thick, nearly hairless in most species, and deeply folded in some. The horns, arising from the skin, are made of keratin, a fibrous substance. The legs are stout and short and end in broad feet, each with three toes. Rhinoceroses are herbivorous, browsers or grazers according to the species. Most live near water and like to wallow in mud; all swim well. They have poor vision but good hearing and a good sense of smell. Mostly solitary animals, they feed by night and in the early morning and evening; they rest in shade during the heat of the day. They are often accompanied by small tickbirds (oxpeckers) that feed on parasites in their skin and, by their cries, alert them to danger. Although most rhinoceroses are placid animals, mothers fiercely protect their offspring.

Rhinoceros Species

Two of the five rhinoceros species are African and three Asian. The African species have two horns, one behind the other, and their skins are gray and smooth rather than folded. The black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis, of E and S Africa, has declined in numbers from about 65,000 in 1970 to 4,800 in 2012 (a total that represents an increase from the mid-1990s low of 2,400); the subspecies once found in W Africa is apparently extinct. At the beginning of the 20th cent. there were 2 to 3 million black rhinoceroses. The black rhinoceros has a grasping upper lip, used for browsing shrubbery. Its front horn may be over 18 in. (45 cm) long. Unpredictable and sometimes dangerous, it can turn and charge with great force if irritated. The white, or square-lipped, rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum, is divided into two subspecies: the northern white rhinoceros, which is extinct in the wild, and the southern white rhinoceros, which is found primarily in South Africa; the term white may be a corruption of the Afrikaans word for "wide," referring to its broad snout. The white rhinoceros is second in size among land mammals to the elephant. It stands 6 1-2 ft (2 m) at the shoulder, is 13 ft (4 m) long, and weighs 3 to 4 tons (2,700–3,600 kg). Some 20,000 southern white rhinoceroses survive. The vast majority of African rhinoceroses are now found in South Africa.

Two of the Asian species have a single horn. The Indian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis, is the second largest rhinoceros and can weigh over 2 tons (1,820 kg). Its thick hide is deeply creased in places, creating the impression of armor plates; folds of thinner skin allow body movement and flexibility. Indian rhinos have reached speeds of 30 mph (48 kph) in charges. Perhaps 2,000 live on the grassy plains of Bengal, Assam, and Nepal, some of them in groups. Their population hit a low point in 1970 at 900. The solitary and smaller Javan rhinoceros, R. sondaicus, is nearly extinct. The Sumatran rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, also critically endangered, is the only rhinoceros with a hairy coat and the only Asian species with two horns. Smallest of the rhinoceroses, it stands 4 1-2 ft (1.4 m) and weighs about 1 ton (900 kg). Fewer than 300 survive in remote forests of Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and Borneo.

Endangered Status

Rhinoceroses are endangered and close to extinction due to loss of their natural habitats to expanding human settlement and agriculture, and especially because of poaching and illegal trade in rhinoceros horns. The horns are believed in Asian traditions to have aphrodisiac or healing properties. They have commanded a very high price for centuries, sometimes surpassing that of gold. Some Middle Eastern societies prize rhinoceros horn for dagger handles. Despite a ban on trade in rhinoceros parts under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1976, populations declined by 90% over the next 20 years. Unless poaching is stopped, rhinoceros extinction in the wild is virtually inevitable. The poaching problem, exacerbated by poverty and political unrest in many areas, has turned into a war, and dozens of poachers and wildlife sanctuary guards have lost their lives. Aggressive captive breeding programs under way for most species have met with limited success.

Classification

The rhinoceros is classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Perissodactyla, family Rhinocerotidae.

Bibliography

See M. Penny, Rhino (1988); S. Fitzgerald, International Wildlife Trade (1989); F. B. Salvadori, Rare Animals of the World (1990).

rhinoceros

[rī′näs·ə·rəs] (vertebrate zoology) The common name for the odd-toed ungulates composing the family Rhinoceratidae, characterized by massive, thick-skinned limbs and bodies, and one or two horns which are composed of a solid mass of hairs attached to the bony prominence of the skull.

Rhinoceros

Berenger discovers that Jean is turning into a rhinoceros like all the other townspeople. [Fr. Drama: Weiss, 394]See: Transformation

rhinoceros

any of several perissodactyl mammals constituting the family Rhinocerotidae of SE Asia and Africa and having either one horn on the nose, like the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), or two horns, like the African white rhinoceros (Diceros simus). They have a very thick skin, massive body, and three digits on each foot

rhinoceros

rhi·noc·er·os

rhinoceros

rhi•noc•er•os

rhi·noc·er·os

rhinoceros

rhinoceros

rhinoceros

have a hide like a rhinoceros

have a skin like a rhinoceros

have a hide/skin like a rhiˈnoceros

rhinoceros

rhinoceros,

Rhinoceros Species

Endangered Status

Classification

Bibliography

rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

rhinoceros

rhinoceros

Synonyms for rhinoceros

noun massive powerful herbivorous odd-toed ungulate of southeast Asia and Africa having very thick skin and one or two horns on the snout

Synonyms

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