Rhinoceros horn
A dense, keratin-based growth on a rhinoceros’s snout, formed from compacted hair-like filaments. Unlike true horns, it has no bony core.
Keratin: A family of tough structural proteins found in hair, nails, feathers, and other animal tissues. Compacted keratin forms the horn’s main material.
Keratinization: The process by which cells produce keratin, harden, and form protective structures. It supplies the material that builds the horn.
Traditional Chinese medicine: A medical tradition originating in China that uses practices including herbal remedies, acupuncture, and dietary therapy. Rhinoceros horn has been used in some remedies, despite lacking proven medicinal benefit.
Rhinoceros conservation: Efforts to protect rhinoceros species, their habitats, and their populations from decline. Protecting rhinoceroses requires addressing threats driven by horn demand.
White rhinoceros: A large African rhinoceros species with two horns and a broad, grazing-adapted mouth. Its prominent front horn is typically longer than its rear horn.
Hair: A filamentous growth made chiefly of keratin and produced by follicles in mammalian skin. Rhinoceros horn resembles densely packed hair filaments rather than bone.
Dermal papilla: A projection of connective tissue that supports growth in structures such as hair follicles. Tissue at the horn’s base produces its growing keratin filaments.
Rhinoceros horn trade: The legal and illegal commerce in rhinoceros horns and products made from them. Demand for the material has fueled international trafficking and poaching.
Rhinoceros population decline: The reduction of rhinoceros numbers through poaching, habitat loss, and other pressures. Horn trafficking has contributed to steep declines in several populations.
Black rhinoceros: An African rhinoceros species with two horns and a pointed, grasping upper lip. Its two horns can differ greatly in length and shape.