Rhinos are part of a yearly exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. They can be found along other animals in the Hall of African Mammals.
Description
The word rhinoceros is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek: ῥῑνόκερως, which is composed of ῥῑνο- (rhino-, "nose") and κέρας (keras, "horn"). The plural in English is rhinoceros or rhinoceroses. The collective noun for a group of rhinoceroses is crash or herd.
The five living species fall into three categories. The two African species, the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros, belong to the Dicerotini group, which originated in the middle Miocene, about 14.2 million years ago. The species diverged during the early Pliocene (about 5 million years ago). The main difference between black and white rhinos is the shape of their mouths – white rhinos have broad flat lips for grazing, whereas black rhinos have long pointed lips for eating foliage.
Rhinoceros are hunted by humans for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market, and which are used by some cultures for ornamental or traditional medicinal purposes. East Asia, specifically Vietnam, is the largest market for rhino horns. By weight, rhino horns cost as much as gold on the black market. People grind up the horns and then consume them believing the dust has therapeutic properties. The horns are made of keratin, the same type of protein that makes up hair and fingernails. Both African species and the Sumatran rhinoceros have two horns, while the Indian and Javan rhinoceros have a single horn.
Role
Night at the Museum
In the film, Larry Daley sees a rhinoceros walking around the hall along with several birds after he had thrown the bone to Rexy.
The rhino was later seen walking past Larry when he walked past the Easter Island Head and asked how his gum was doing.
After Dexter opens the freight entrance, the rhinoceros exits the museum with the woolly mammoth, a leopard, and a pair of Eskimos on their sled. With help from Ahkmenrah, Larry is able to get the rhinoceros and the rest of the exhibits back to the museum before sunrise.
Video Game
In the console version, at least 2 rhinos have a very minor role in the video game. The rhinos, as depicted in this game, are wild animals that act like semi-enemies, like the polar bears. If Larry is close to one, it will charge into him, causing him to take damage and lose a scarab. The rhinos can be tamed using the animal ingot and can be used to break down gates. Unlike the one in the movies, who was a black rhino with 2 horns, these rhinos are most likely Indian rhinos as they only have 1 long horn.