Rhino vs. Elephant: Differences and Which Would Win in a Fight

The two largest land animals are elephants weighing 15,000 pounds and rhinos weighing 7,900 pounds.

Elephants are much taller, reaching a height of 10 to 12 feet, while rhinos are almost half as tall, reaching 4 to 6 feet. Standing next to each other, you can tell the huge difference.

So, what do these large animals have in common and how do they differ? If they met in the wild, who would win the battle? Do they have similar habitats and come into contact with each other? In a race walking, who runs faster? Is ivory stronger than horn?

Let’s break it down below and learn more about rhinos and elephants!

A Quick Fact About Rhino

Rhinos are sometimes described as tanks of the jungle; they have large bodies, short legs, and thick, tough skin that resembles armor. However, the most distinctive feature is their large horns that protrude from their heads. This horn can reach lengths of 5 feet or more!

Five species of rhino live in Africa and Asia. They used to be found all over these continents, but now due to poaching and habitat loss, they only exist in a few areas. Black and white rhinos live only in the savannahs of Africa, while Indian rhinos make deserts and scrublands their home. Sumatran rhinos live in the tropical forests of India and Borneo, and only a few Javan rhinos survive, and they are kept in Ujung Kuran National Park in Indonesia to protect the species.

Fast Facts About Elephants

Large are large gray animals with thick legs and long snouts. On the sides of their trunks are long white tusks that can reach 6 feet or more. They have large flap ears on their heads and can grow up to 6 feet tall in some African statues.

There are 3 species of elephants and some subspecies. The largest is the African bush elephant, then the African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. Side by side, there is a clear difference between the large African and Asian images.

African elephants have round heads, large ears, and long white tusks. Asian elephants have dome-shaped heads and smaller ears, and only the males have tusks. They also have fine hair and molted patches of skin on their backs. The African jungle is like living in the savannah of Africa, while the African forest is like living in the tropical forest.

Asian elephants include subspecies based on where they live, including Indian, Sumatran, Sri Lankan and Bornean pygmy elephants.

What do they have in common?

Rhinos and elephants share some similarities, most notably that they are both large, gray animals with leathery skin. They share a similar habitat to some species that live in savannah areas and tropical forests. Both inhabit Africa and Asia and may meet in the wild.

Their diets are also similar, both being herbivores (or large herbivores are animals that weigh more than 2,000 pounds and eat only plants). Depending on the habitat they live in, they typically eat grass, fruit, trees, and leaves.

Both rhinos and elephants are at the top of the food chain without any real predators, but smaller or juvenile rhinos and elephants can be preyed upon by lions, leopards, jaguars and even crocodiles.

One unfortunate thing these species have in common is that they are all poached for rhino horns and elephant tusks.

What is the difference between ivory and horn?

The rhino’s horns are certainly intimidating, reaching up to 5 feet long and protruding from the top of the snout. White, black and Sumatran rhinos all have two horns, one large and one small. Indian and Javan rhinos have only one horn, and the one-horned rhino is the most endangered species.

Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same protein that makes up human nails and hair. An intertwined mass of hair-like material is actually this hard, stiff horn. If a rhino loses a horn, such as in a fight with a predator, it can grow back over time. While this is true, the fact is that poachers often kill the rhino completely by shooting it before removing the horns. Horns are used as a status symbol and are also believed to have medicinal properties in Chinese culture.

Ivory can grow longer than rhino horns, up to 6 feet. The tusks are actually growing incisors that are attached to the elephant’s skull. Similar to our teeth, they have nerve endings in them, and if an elephant loses a tusk, it can be very painful. And, like human teeth, ivory never grows back.

All African elephants have tusks, while only male Asian elephants have tusks. Poachers hunt elephants for their ivory, which they use as jewelry, carvings, piano keys, billiards, and as a status symbol. The United States and many other countries have banned the sale of ivory to help protect elephant populations. On December 31, 2017, China banned the sale of ivory, according to the World Wildlife Fund, leading environmentalists to widely celebrate the move.

Who lives longer, the rhino or the elephant?

As conservationists make progress in helping to extend the lifespan of these two species, which naturally lives longer? Elephants have one of the longest lifespans of any land animal, living between 55 and 70 years. The lifespan of a rhino is 40 to 50 years. So, elephants live longer.

Which is faster, the rhino or the elephant?

Who do you think would win if we cleared the savannah, drew the start and finish lines, and had a big elephant wait beside the rhino for the “ready, go, go!” call? Get ready to make the ground shake!

Elephants have a lot longer legs than rhinos, so elephants may have an advantage, but the truth is rhinos are faster than elephants.

Rhinos can reach speeds of 25 to 34 miles per hour! Elephants can actually achieve pretty decent speeds too, but not as fast as rhinos. Elephants in a hurry typically travel around 10 mph, but they can reach speeds of up to 25 mph.

Who will win the battle, the rhino or the elephant?

We did find that rhinos and elephants might meet in the wild. In some cases they have tried to fight each other, but most of the time they respect each other’s space and don’t fight each other.

Video of the confrontation between the two showed some fighting with the elephants using their tusks and horns, but the elephant’s main goal was to try and knock the rhino down before crushing it, damaging vital organs. Rhinos try to keep their balance and protect themselves with their horns. A strategic strike with its horn can seriously injure an elephant. However, the video clearly shows that the elephant’s sheer size would probably outpace most rhinos…unless the rhino is able to escape because, as we just learned, rhinos can run faster than elephants.