印度犀牛种

印度犀是现存体型最大的犀牛之一，鼻上仅有一角，与爪哇犀是近亲。

外表特征

印度犀重达4000磅，鼻上只有一只角，是世上体型最大的大单角犀牛。印度犀的角并不是很长，通常受威胁时它们会用28英哩的速度冲撞对方，但求偶时则会利用下颚几颗3.5英寸的獠牙互咬，觅食时它们一次能吃下50磅的植物。印度犀的皮厚且十分大片，有数层的皱折，但它们的皮肤相当敏感，因此会定时去泥潭来驱除皮肤上的寄生虫。

生长范围

印度犀在历史上曾经居住于巴基斯坦到缅甸的广大地区，甚至在中国境内广泛分布。但由于人类居住地的扩大，分布范围大大收缩，目前只在印度东北部和尼泊尔境内少量存在。历史上，托马斯·C·捷尔顿曾于1874年这样描写这种印度的哺乳动物：“这种巨大的犀牛居住于喜马拉雅山的尼泊尔山脚。它在西藏地区的东部比西部分布更为广泛，在阿萨姆（印度东北部一邦）是种群最为繁盛。”

约一个世纪前，印度犀剩不到200头存活于阿萨姆邦。经过保育后，2010年，约有2700余头，其中四分之一被限制在印度北部和邻近尼泊尔的十个小型保留区内，其余约2000头几乎生活在布拉马普得拉河上的加济兰加国家公园内。

现在主要分布于尼泊尔的奇特旺国家公园。

繁殖

雄性的印度犀在九岁达到性成熟期，而雌性则在五岁就达到，一般在6-8岁产下第一胎。母犀牛在发情期发出叫声，以吸引公犀牛的注意，从而进行交配。公犀牛之间则通过打斗来决定交配权，由于他们使用锋利的牙齿进行决斗，因此往往可以造成致命的伤害。

孕期为16个月，断奶期为18个月。繁殖间歇期约为三年。小犀牛在出生后会与母亲共同相处好几年，等到新的犀牛出生后，母亲就会赶走年龄较大的孩子。

The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros or Indian rhino, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the second largest living rhinoceros and the largest in Asia, with adult males weighing 2.07–2.2 t (2.04–2.17 long tons; 2.28–2.43 short tons) and adult females 1.6 t (1.6 long tons; 1.8 short tons). Its thick skin is grey-brown with pinkish skin folds. It has a single horn on its snout that grows up to 57.2–61.6 cm (22.5–24.3 in) long. Its upper legs and shoulders are covered in wart-like bumps, and it is nearly hairless aside from the eyelashes, ear fringes and tail brush.

The Indian rhinoceros occurs in the Indo-Gangetic Plain in 12 protected areas in northern India and southern Nepal. It is a grazer, eating mainly grass, but also twigs, leaves, branches, shrubs, flowers, fruits and aquatic plants. It is a largely solitary animal, only associating in the breeding season and when rearing calves. Females give birth to a single calf after a gestation of 15.7 months. The birth interval is 34–51 months. Captive individuals can live up to 47 years. It is susceptible to diseases such as anthrax, and those caused by parasites such as leeches, ticks and nematodes.

The Indian rhinoceros is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as the population is fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). Excessive hunting and agricultural development reduced its range drastically. In the early 1990s, the global population was estimated at between 1,870 and 1,895 individuals. Since then, the population increased due to conservation measures taken by the governments. As of March 2025, it was estimated to comprise 4,075 individuals. However, poaching remains a continuous threat.

Etymology

The generic name rhinoceros is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek: ῥινόκερως, which is composed of ῥινο- (rhino-, "of the nose") and κέρας (keras, "horn") with a horn on the nose. The name has been in use since the 14th century. The Latin word ūnicornis means "one-horned".