rhino, delhi zoo

The distinctive horn on its snout is not a true horn. It has neither a bony core nor is it connected to the skull. It is millions of compact hair-like fibers growing from the snout. Like our nails, the horn contains keratin and continues to grow every year. If broken, it is replaced. For centuries, the rhino horn has been used to make cups, bowls, daggers, bows and arrows, decorative carvings, sword hilts, walking sticks, door handles, the list is endless. The false beliefs that the horn is an aphrodisiac have left the rhino at man's mercy.