Despite protective laws, nearly all of the many Rhinoceri are still threatened and are close to extinction. They still are being poached and are dying by the hundreds. Most are being killed for their horns. The others are being killed for their medical value in folk medicine. Their horn is really only a mass of keratin (found in hair, nails, and outer skin of mammals.)
Found in Eastern and Southern Africa, Rhinoceri inhabit the open grassland, savanna, scrub forests, and marsh land. These massive creatures are hoofed and have short stumpy legs. They may grow to be nineteen feet long and six and a half feet high at the shoulders. Adults may weigh up to four tons (eight thousand lbs.) Rhinoceri have one of two horns of the upper surface of their snout. Rhinoceri are either brown or gray in color. Except for stiff bristles at the tip of the tail and short fringes around the ears, they are virtually hairless. Despite how big they are they can run as fast as twenty-eight mph.
The Rhinoceros eats plants and grass. Most Rhinoceri live alone. Their territory is usually criss-crossed with well worn trails and tunnels through the brush. The borders are marked with urine and little piles of dung.