Sumatran Rhino

The Sumatran Rhino is also known as the Asian Two-horned Rhino, this is the rarest of the five remaining species of rhinoceros. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 100 Sumatran Rhinos in the wild. However, according to the World Wildlife Fund, The Sumatran Rhino numbers only around 30. It is believed that the Sumatran Rhinos have been a fairly vulnerable species for the past 9,000 years when a climate shift took place in their natural habitat.

Since then, Sumatran Rhinos have failed to bounce back and face even more threats today. While there has been some success with breeding Sumatran Rhinos in captivity, this animal has a hard time surviving outside of its natural ecosystem. So currently, they are very rare in captivity.

The Sumatran Rhino, also known as the hairy rhinoceros or Asian two-horned rhinoceros, is a rare member of the family Rhinocerotidae and is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. Members of the species once inhabited rainforests, swamps, and cloud forests in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China. In the past, this animal lived in southwest China, particularly in Sichuan. The Sumatran rhinoceros are now critically endangered, with only five substantial populations in the wild: four in Sumatra and one in Borneo. Their numbers are difficult to determine because they are solitary animals that are spread across their range.

Location: Sumatra and Borneo (used to be found in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, other parts of Indonesia, and China

Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity

Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Scientific Name: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis