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VUVulnerablePartial review

Greater One-horned Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros unicornis

Greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), with armour-like skin folds.

Greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category
VU · Vulnerable
Animal group
Mammals
Population trend
Increasing
Last verified

Conservation overview

The greater one-horned rhinoceros (Indian rhino) is a massive, single-horned rhino with armour-like skin folds. It is assessed as Vulnerable, having recovered strongly from near-extinction.

Most live in a small number of well-guarded reserves.

Range & habitat

Floodplain grasslands and forests of northern India and Nepal.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

  • Poaching for horn
  • Habitat loss to agriculture
  • Concentration in few protected areas

Why it matters

A conservation success rebuilt through strict protection, the greater one-horned rhino is a flagship for India and Nepal's floodplain grasslands.

Also called the Indian rhinoceros; recovery in India and Nepal is often cited as a conservation success.

Gallery

An Indian rhinoceros showing its single horn.

Greater one-horned (Indian) rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).

Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Greater One-horned Rhinoceros

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Indian rhino look armoured?
Its thick skin falls into deep folds that look like riveted plates of armour, a distinctive feature of this single-horned Asian rhino.
Why is it only Vulnerable now?
Strict protection helped numbers recover from a few hundred to several thousand, improving its status — though it remains threatened by poaching and habitat loss. See the IUCN Red List.

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