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The Indian rhinoceros has one horn (both male and female), and its skin has loose folds and rivet-like knobs which make it appear armored. A female Indian rhino weighs about 1600 kg (3500 lb), while a male weighs about 2200 kg (4800 lb). The average height of a female is 1.6 m (5.2'); males average 1.8 m (5.9') tall. The Indian rhino is found throughout its present range in alluvial plain habitats: riverine grasslands with grass up to 8 m (26') tall and marshy areas bordered by riverine woodlands, drier sal forest, or tropical almond forest. It now often uses cultivated areas, pastures, and modified woodlands. The Indian rhino's diet consists mainly of grass but also includes fruit, leaves, branches of trees and shrubs, and cultivated crops.
The Indian rhino is active mostly at night, in early morning and in the late afternoon. The middle of the day is usually spent resting, either in the shade or in wallows. Apart from cow-calf pairs, Indian rhinos rarely form groups. Adult males are usually solitary, but they sometimes occur in temporary associations at wallows and grazing grounds where they often feed or rest together but move independently of each other. The Indian rhino is not territorial. The home ranges of dominant bulls overlap with one another, with ranges of weaker males that do not attempt to mate, and with ranges of females.
In historic times, the Indian rhino occurred in the sub-Himalayan region all along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins. It disappeared over much of its range between 1600 - 1900. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was close to extinction. At that point there was a change in human treatment of the Indian rhino: hunting was halted and general legal protection was established. For most of the 20th century, populations of the Indian rhino have been concentrated in southern Nepal and northeastern India. By the late 20th century, the Indian rhino was confined to a few isolated patches in the Nepal terai, West Bengal (India), and the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam (India). Fortunately, the total population increased considerably during the second half of the 20th century (See Population Estimates below.).
The main reason for the decline of the Indian rhino from its historical levels was the loss of alluvial plain grasslands to agricultural development, which destroyed the rhino's prime habitat, led to conflicts with human interests, and made the rhino more accessible to hunters. In the early 20th century, hunting was prohibited. Currently, with most Indian rhinos occurring only in sanctuaries, poaching (mainly for use of its horn in Oriental medicine) is still a major problem, as well as competition for grazing with domestic stock and trespass in sanctuaries by villagers for firewood and fodder
The Indian rhino is active mostly at night, in early morning and in the late afternoon. The middle of the day is usually spent resting, either in the shade or in wallows. Apart from cow-calf pairs, Indian rhinos rarely form groups. Adult males are usually solitary, but they sometimes occur in temporary associations at wallows and grazing grounds where they often feed or rest together but move independently of each other. The Indian rhino is not territorial. The home ranges of dominant bulls overlap with one another, with ranges of weaker males that do not attempt to mate, and with ranges of females.
In historic times, the Indian rhino occurred in the sub-Himalayan region all along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins. It disappeared over much of its range between 1600 - 1900. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was close to extinction. At that point there was a change in human treatment of the Indian rhino: hunting was halted and general legal protection was established. For most of the 20th century, populations of the Indian rhino have been concentrated in southern Nepal and northeastern India. By the late 20th century, the Indian rhino was confined to a few isolated patches in the Nepal terai, West Bengal (India), and the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam (India). Fortunately, the total population increased considerably during the second half of the 20th century (See Population Estimates below.).
The main reason for the decline of the Indian rhino from its historical levels was the loss of alluvial plain grasslands to agricultural development, which destroyed the rhino's prime habitat, led to conflicts with human interests, and made the rhino more accessible to hunters. In the early 20th century, hunting was prohibited. Currently, with most Indian rhinos occurring only in sanctuaries, poaching (mainly for use of its horn in Oriental medicine) is still a major problem, as well as competition for grazing with domestic stock and trespass in sanctuaries by villagers for firewood and fodder
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