Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Rhinoceros?

\Rhi*noc"e*ros\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ???, ???; ???. ???, the nose + ??? a horn: cf. F. rhinoc['e]ros. See {Horn}.] (Zo["o]l.) Any pachyderm belonging to the genera {Rhinoceros}, {Atelodus}, and several allied genera of the family {Rhinocerotid[ae]}, of which several living, and many extinct, species are known. They are large and powerful, and usually have either one or two stout conical median horns on the snout. Note: The Indian, or white, and the Javan rhinoceroses ({Rhinoceros Indicus} and {R. Sondaicus}) have incisor and canine teeth, but only one horn, and the very thick skin forms shieldlike folds. The two or three African species belong to {Atelodus}, and have two horns, but lack the dermal folds, and the incisor and canine teeth. The two Malay, or East Indian, two-horned species belong to {Ceratohinus}, in which incisor and canine teeth are present. See {Borele}, and {Keitloa}. {Rhinoceros auk} (Zo["o]l.), an auk of the North Pacific ({Cerorhina monocrata}) which has a deciduous horn on top of the bill. {Rhinoceros beetle} (Zo["o]l.), a very large beetle of the genus {Dynastes}, having a horn on the head. {Rhinoceros bird}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A large hornbill ({Buceros rhinoceros}), native of the East Indies. It has a large hollow hornlike process on the bill. Called also {rhinoceros hornbill}. See {Hornbill}. (b) An African beefeater ({Buphaga Africana}). It alights on the back of the rhinoceros in search of parasitic insects.