Indian rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, India

© Abhishek Singh/Moment/Getty Image

The rare one-horned rhinoceros. Indian rhinoceros

The Indian rhinoceros, also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. Listed as a vulnerable species, the large mammal is primarily found in parts of north-eastern India and in protected areas in the Terai of Nepal, where populations are confined to the riverine grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas. Weighing between 2260 kg and 3000 kg, it is the fourth largest land animal and has a single horn.

These rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain but excessive hunting reduced their natural habitat drastically. Today, about 3,000 rhinos live in the wild, 2000 of which are found in Assam’s Kaziranga alone (from where the picture has been taken). They can run at speeds of up to 55 km/h (34 mph) for short periods of time and are also an excellent swimmer. They have excellent senses of hearing and smell but relatively poor eyesight.