The Two-Horned Rhino

By Michelle Higdon

“Ooh, Daddy, look at that one!” The little girl in the backseat had her face pressed against the window, eyes wide.

Her dad kept his gaze out the front window. “Yeah, Hunter, it’s a rhinoceros. Pretty big, isn’t it? See its horns?”

“Yeah, Daddy, they’re sharp! And he’s got two! So if one breaks or falls off, he still has one to play with, right Daddy?” Hunter twisted in her seat to look at her dad. “Rhinos are cool, aren’t they? Not as cute as puppies but still cool, right, Daddy?” She paused for a minute. “Daddy, can I have a rhino for a pet? I promise to feed him and clean him and play with him. And I can ride him to school, maybe, right? Right?”

Laughing, her dad reached back and patted her knee. “No, Hunter, I don’t think a rhino would be a good pet. But here’s something you might like. Wanna hear some fun facts about the rhino?”

As Hunter shouted “Yes!”  her dad tuned the radio to the zoo’s personal station. The zookeeper shared some fun information about the rhinoceros.

Five Fun Facts About Rhinos

  1. Usually, a “crash” refers to two or more cars colliding with each other. But not in this case! A group of rhinos is called a “crash”, much like a group of horses is called a herd.
  2. Rhinos may look big and slow, but they’re not. They can run at speeds of up to thirty to forty miles per hour.
  3. The white rhino is the largest of the rhinos and can weigh up to 6,000 pounds. Be careful not to let one sit on you!
  4. White rhinos and black rhinos have two horns on their head. Other rhinos only have one horn.
  5. Even though rhinos don’t have birthday parties, they can still live to be pretty old. Normally, rhinos live to be thirty to fifty years old.

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