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Wildlife

Surviving

Indian rhinoceros

Rhinoceros unicornis

An Indian rhinoceros with deep skin folds and a single horn standing in grass
Image: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Surviving IUCN: VU · Vulnerable global assessment

What it is

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called the greater one horned rhinoceros, is a huge grey brown rhino with deep folds of skin that make it look as if it wears armour. It has a single horn on its snout. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as Vulnerable.

Range

Grasslands and river floodplains of northeastern India and southern Nepal, mostly inside national parks.

What happened

In the past hundred years the Indian rhinoceros has recovered from fewer than 100 animals to more than 4,000. In March 2025 there were 4,075, with 3,323 in India and 752 in Nepal, helped by better habitat and wildlife corridors.

When / status

Vulnerable now, and still guarded closely in its parks.

Human role

Hunting and poaching for its horn, and the loss of its grassland to farms, once brought it close to extinction.

Sources