World Rhino Day: What is it and when is it celebrated?

Rhinos in a groupImage source, LUCA SOLA
Image caption,

How much do you know about the different types of rhinos?

It's World Rhino Day today!

Animal charities like the WWF are asking people to try learn more about the different types of rhinos, and what help they need.

Rhinos are currently considered critically endangered - which means they could risk extinction.

Read on to find out more.

Image source, Wei Hao Ho
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Munch munch... did you know that rhinos feed on plants?

What is World Rhino Day?

World Rhino Day is held on 22 September.

It's celebrated by lots of different wildlife charities, and gives people a chance to learn more about these impressive creatures.

What are the five types of rhino?

Image source, Dan Kitwood
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Check out this white rhino with its adorable baby

There are five species of rhino, and they all live across Africa and Asia.

The white and black rhinos live in Africa, mainly in the south and west of the continent.

The three other types - the greater one-horned, Javan, and Sumatran, all are from Asia.

Image source, Stefano Barzellotti
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There is a small number of one-horned Indian rhino in Chitwan National Park, in Nepal

You can find the greater one-horned in India, where over 90% of them live in one national park, and in Southern Nepal. The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are both found in Indonesia.

Experts think the Sumatran rhino used to be found as far as the Eastern Himalayas, but now its only found on two Indonesian islands; Sumatra and Borneo.

Image source, Tobias Nowlan
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Get up close with this Javan rhino!

How big do rhinos get?

Black rhinos can weigh up to 1,400 kg - which is pretty heavy!

However, white rhinos are even larger - they can weigh up to 3,500kg.

They eat a lot of vegetation - which also means they poo a lot. Did you know they use their poo and wee to communicate with other rhinos?

They can smell each others poo, and use this to work out where they all are.

Why do rhinos need help?

Due to poaching - which is when people hunt animals to make money from them - rhino populations in Africa were down to very low levels at the end of the 19th century.

Thanks to conservation projects, the animals are doing better now. However, although it is against the law, poaching still happens. Poachers can make a lot of money by selling ivory, which is in rhino horns.

Image source, Kevin Schafer
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Rhinos like the black rhino were hunted for their horns

The WWF says rhinos are also impacted by climate change, as they need a very specific environment to be able to breed in. When the climate changes, if it gets too hot or too cold, they could struggle to have babies.

Rhinos help look after the environment - they graze on plants which helps look after the landscape.