Javan Rhinoceros

Open encyclopedia reference

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), also called Javan rhino, Sunda rhinoceros and lesser one-horned rhinoceros is a critically endangered member of the genus Rhinoceros of the family Rhinocerotidae, and one of the five remaining extant rhinoceros species. It has a plate-like skin with protective folds and is one of the smallest rhinoceros species with a body length of 3.1–3.2 m (10.2–10.5 ft) and a 1.4–1.7 m (4.6–5.6 ft) long tail. The heaviest specimens weigh around 2,300 kg (5,100 lb). Its horn is usually shorter than 25 cm (9.8 in). Until the mid-19th to about the early 20th century, the Javan rhinoceros had ranged beyond the islands of Java and Sumatra and onto the mainland of Southeast Asia and Indochina, northwest into East India, Bhutan, and the south of China. Today, it is the rarest of all rhinoceroses, and among the rarest of all living animal species, with only one currently known wild population, and no individuals successfully kept in captivity.

Wikipedia contributors, Javan rhinoceros; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:17:57.085043+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Rhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, 1822

Name authority

Desmarest, 1822

Common name

Javan Rhinoceros

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Perissodactyla

Family

Rhinocerotidae

Genus

Rhinoceros

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderPerissodactyla Owen, 1848
12. familyRhinocerotidae Gray, 1821
13. subfamilyRhinocerotinae Gray, 1868
14. genusRhinoceros Linnaeus, 1758
15. speciesRhinoceros sondaicus Desmarest, 1822

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Rhinoceros. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 5 records assigned to Rhinocerotidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625004 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4S84X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.