Volume 13, Plate IX / Mammalia (Mammals)

Indian Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros Indicus

Oldest known of modern species, this Indian rhinoceros bears a single solid horn rising backward from a blunt bony cone, with a flat sinking face, small dull eyes, and a thick tuberculated grayish violet skin folded into deep plicae, appearing nearly black when greased. Reaching nearly five feet at the back and weighing some two tons, it is peaceable yet outrageous when struck or hungry, feeding on grains and roots gathered by its prehensile upper lip.