Ever wondered what a baby Rhino is called? Well, read on as we provide the complete answers to the baby rhino names and naming conventions for baby rhinos and adult rhinos too.
Here are some quick answers to the name of a baby rhino and, then on to the adult rhino names…
What is a baby rhino called?
What is a baby rhino called? A baby rhino is called a calf, as they are similar to other ungulates such as elephants, giraffes or bison. When referring to more than one calf, we call them calves.
That’s the quick answer, let’s dive into more details as there are a couple of other rhino name terms you perhaps didn’t know…
All rhinoceros names
Rhinoceros is the full and complete name for what we know as a rhino. They’re part of the family: Rhinocerotidae (Wikipedia link)
It’s common to shorten the name to “rhino” more for convenience. We use a shortened rhino name in a plural sense too, but usually without an apostrophe. We simply call more than one rhino – “rhinos”
Adult rhino names
In the same sense, we call a female rhinoceros a Cow, and a male rhinoceros a Bull. The same as you would cattle as they are part of the ungulate species of animals. Plural for female rhinoceros is still rhinoceros.
Here’s a round-up of rhino names…
All rhino names
An adult female rhinoceros is called a Cow
More than one (plural) adult female rhinos are called Cows
An adult female rhinoceros is called a Bull
More than one (plural) adult male rhino are called Bulls
A baby rhinoceros is called a Calf
More than one (plural) baby rhino is known as Calves
The plural term for a group of rhinoceros could be either rhinos, rhinoceros or rhinoceroses
A group of rhinoceroses is also called a “crash” of rhinoceroses. Or, a crash of rhinos. Or, a crash of rhinoceros
The word crash is derived from the ramming technique that adult rhinos have, at which they can ram objects with their horns at up to 30 mph!
Avoid using the word “Calfs”, while it is possible to use this term, the general consensus by dictionaries is that “Calves” are the preferred plural for “Calf”.
How long is a baby rhino a calf for?
Calves are born around once every three years for a mature adult female.
When calves become cows, or bulls can be debatable, but, calves generally remain with their mother until the age of around two years old or even up to 5 years old as they start to reach sexual maturity around that age.
This is because they need protection from their mother against predators such as hyenas and lions. When the baby rhino leaves it’s mother, it can be considered an adult and not a calf any longer.
Once they have left their mother they can expect a life span of around 35 – 50 years as an adult Cow or Bull.
If you had a baby rhino, what name would you give them? Let us know in the comments below!
Learning Resources
Learn far more about these wonderful and powerful creatures with these learning resources
An educational rhinoceros book for kids, packed with rhinoceros facts with photographs and carefully chosen words designed to teach children all about the Rhinoceros.
Some people ask If Rhinos Lay Eggs! Check out the answer
Video Resources
To finish…
We hope this has been useful for clarification on the names of a baby rhino. With so many animals, and so many young it can be confusing trying to keep up sometimes.
This content has been checked and verified by a qualified veterinary practitioner. The article has been reviewed by our editorial board and has been approved for publication in accordance with our editorial policy.
