# Rhino — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Family Rhinocerotidae — 5 living species in Africa and Asia*

> Rhinoceroses are five living species of horned megaherbivores in Africa and Asia; all are threatened by poaching for keratin horn, with three species Critically Endangered including the Sumatran rhino with fewer than 50 individuals.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species (Near Threatened to Critically Endangered)  ·  **WARN range:** Africa, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Species | 5 living — 2 African, 3 Asian |
| Horn | Keratin — same protein as fingernails |
| Largest | White rhino — up to 2,300 kg |
| Rarest | Sumatran rhino — fewer than 50 individuals |
| Recovery | White rhino restored from ~100 to 17,000+ |
| CITES | Appendix I — all species |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates)
- **Family:** Rhinocerotidae
- **Species:** 5 living species across 4 genera

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Black, Javan and Sumatran rhino Critically Endangered. White rhino Near Threatened. Greater one-horned rhino Vulnerable.
- **Population:** Roughly 26,700 rhinos globally across all five species (2025)
- **Trend:** Decreasing for Critically Endangered species; increasing for recovered white and greater one-horned rhinos
- **Assessed:** Varies by species (2020–2023)
- **CITES:** Appendix I — all rhino species
- See WARN Sumatran rhino guide for Dicerorhinus sumatrensis — distinct from this generic rhino hub.

## Key facts: Rhino
- Five rhino species survive — white, black, greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran.
- Rhino horn is keratin — the same protein as fingernails — with no proven medical value.
- Three species are Critically Endangered: black, Javan and Sumatran rhino.
- The Sumatran rhino is the smallest and rarest, with fewer than 50 individuals.
- Poaching for the illegal horn trade is the primary threat to all five species.
- White rhinos recovered from fewer than 100 to over 17,000 through intensive protection.

## Five species, two continents
African rhinos comprise the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) — the largest, with a wide square lip for grazing — and the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) — smaller, with a pointed lip for browsing. White rhinos number over 17,000 after recovery from near extinction; the northern white rhino is functionally extinct with two surviving females. Asian rhinos include the greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) of India and Nepal — recovered to over 4,000; the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) — Critically Endangered with around 50 individuals confined to Ujung Kulon National Park on Java, following a 2019–2023 poaching operation; and the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) — the smallest, hairiest and rarest, with fewer than 50 individuals in Indonesia.

## The horn trade and poaching crisis
Rhino horn consists of keratin — compressed hair — with no scientifically proven medicinal value. Despite this, demand in Vietnam and China for traditional medicine and status symbols drives an illegal trade worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Poachers use high-powered rifles, veterinary immobilising drugs and chainsaws to remove horns from living or dead animals. At the 2015 peak, more than 1,300 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone. Anti-poaching units, dehorning programmes, DNA horn tracking and demand-reduction campaigns have reduced poaching rates, but the threat persists wherever rhinos carry horn.

## Ecology and behaviour
Rhinos are megaherbivores shaping savanna and forest ecosystems. White rhinos graze grass, maintaining open savanna; black rhinos browse shrubs and trees. Greater one-horned rhinos graze and browse floodplain vegetation. All species use wallows and mud baths to regulate temperature and remove parasites. Rhinos have poor eyesight but acute hearing and smell. They communicate through vocalisations, scent marking and dung piles. Calves stay with mothers for two to four years. Despite their bulk — white rhinos reach 2,300 kg — rhinos can charge at 50 km/h when threatened.

## Conservation successes and priorities
Rhino conservation has notable successes alongside catastrophic losses. White rhinos recovered from fewer than 100 in the 1890s to over 17,000 through translocation and protected-area management. Greater one-horned rhinos rebounded from roughly 200 to over 4,000. The Javan rhino persists in a single population in Ujung Kulon National Park. Sumatran rhino recovery depends on captive breeding and isolated wild populations in Indonesia. CITES Appendix I bans all commercial international horn trade. WARN's rhino appeal supports anti-poaching and habitat work; see the Sumatran rhino guide for detail on the rarest species.

## What WARN does
WARN funds anti-poaching and habitat protection for rhinos through our rhino appeal. This guide is free public education about all five rhino species — helping searchers understand the horn trade crisis and why every rhino population matters.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Rhino
### How many rhino species are there?
Five living species: white and black rhino in Africa; greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhino in Asia. Three are Critically Endangered.

### What is rhino horn made of?
Keratin — the same protein as human fingernails and hair. It has no scientifically proven medicinal value, yet illegal demand drives poaching across Africa and Asia.

### Which rhino is most endangered?
The Sumatran rhino is the rarest, with an estimated 34–47 individuals in Indonesia. The Javan rhino numbers around 50 after a 2019–2023 poaching operation. The northern white rhino is functionally extinct — two females remain.

### Are white rhinos extinct?
Southern white rhinos number over 17,000 — a major recovery success. The northern white rhino is functionally extinct with only two surviving females in Kenya; the last male died in 2018. Scientists have created dozens of embryos from frozen sperm and the two females' eggs, with transfers into surrogate southern white rhinos attempted in 2024–2025.

### Why are rhinos poached?
For their horns, driven by demand in Vietnam and China for traditional medicine and status symbols. Horn is keratin with no proven medical benefit, but black-market prices exceed gold per kilogram.

### How many rhinos are left in the world?
Roughly 27,000 rhinos survive across all five species — about 23,000 in Africa and 4,000 in Asia. Three species are Critically Endangered.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Rhinocerotidae assessments](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)
- [Save the Rhino International](https://www.savetherhino.org/)
- [CITES — Checklist of CITES Species](https://checklist.cites.org/)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/rhino