Javan Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros sondaicus
🦏
Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Rhinoceratoidea
Rhinocerotidae
Rhinoceros sondaicus
The Hidden Rhino of the Tropics, the Javan Rhinoceros is one of the rarest large mammals on Earth. Once widespread across Southeast Asia, Rhinoceros sondaicus now survives only in a small, protected corner of Java. Ancient humans revered and hunted this elusive species for its horn and hide, long before modern exploitation nearly erased it from the wild.
Description
Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) — The Javan Rhino is the smallest of the living rhino species and among the most critically endangered mammals on the planet. Adults stand about 1.4–1.7 meters at the shoulder, reach 3–3.2 meters in length, and weigh around 900–2,300 kilograms. Their skin forms loose folds resembling armor plates, though smoother and less pronounced than in the Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis). Males possess a single horn up to 25 cm long; females usually lack a horn altogether. The species inhabits dense lowland rainforests and wetlands, where it feeds on shoots, twigs, and fruit.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
1800
1.6
2.4
3.1
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Humans have hunted Rhinoceros sondaicus since prehistoric times for meat, hide, and horns. Early cave art in Southeast Asia may depict these animals, indicating their cultural significance. Later, in historical periods, Javan and mainland Southeast Asian communities hunted rhinos both for traditional medicine and for prestige. The decline accelerated under colonial hunting in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Ngandong, Java (~100,000 BP) — Fossilized remains of R. sondaicus found with Homo erectus and later Homo sapiens stone tools, suggesting hunting or scavenging.
Lang Rongrien Cave, Thailand (~40,000 BP) — Rhinoceros bones with cut marks, indicative of early human butchery.
Trinil Site, Java (~50,000 BP) — Rhinoceros remains associated with early human habitation layers.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Regionally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
10000
BP
Late Pleistocene
Java
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
108
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/back & visceral fat
Adipose Depots
Subcutaneous back/shoulder, visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Dorsal hump fat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5