rhino

Everyday

1. A rhino, short for rhinoceros, is a very large, heavy, thick-skinned animal with one or two horns on its nose; it lives in Africa and southern Asia and eats plants. tree →
2. (UK, old slang) «Rhino» once meant money, but this is rarely heard now. tree →

In the lessons

In science and conservation lessons rhinos are a key example of endangered animals: poachers kill them for their horns, which are made of keratin, the same stuff as our hair and nails, and have no real medical power. Pupils learn about the white rhino, black rhino (both African) and Indian, Javan and Sumatran rhinos. In stories a rhino is huge, strong and short-sighted.

Examples

• The rhino has two horns on its nose. tree →
• Rhinos roll in mud to cool off and protect their skin. tree →
• Rhino horn is made of keratin, like your fingernails. tree →
• Poachers hunt rhinos, so rangers guard them. tree →
• A baby rhino is called a calf. tree →
• The black rhino is not really black; it is grey. tree →
• The rhino charged across the plain. tree →

Note

Plural «rhinos». Short for «rhinoceros» (plural «rhinoceroses» or «rhinoceros»). Myth: rhino horn does not cure illness. Another trap: white and black rhinos are both grey; «white» may come from a word meaning «wide», describing its wide mouth.