rhinoceros a thick-skinned, horned animal which exists in five species, of which the most important are: the great Indian rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis; the black or hook-lipped rhinoceros (swartrenoster in S. Africa), Diceros bicornis; the white or square-lipped rhinoceros (witrenoster in S. Africa), D. simus. All species are much reduced in numbers and it would be inappropriate to think of them as a food resource. However, they have been so used in the past. There are various references in early Indian texts to rhinoceros being a permitted food.
