My computer tells me that dozens of species of rhino once roamed your planet, but sadly only five exist today. Two of the remaining species - the white and black rhinos - are found in Africa. The other three - the greater one-horned (Indian), Javan and Sumatran live in Asia.

Rhinos look a bit like dinosaurs with their tough skin and their splendid horns – which are in fact made from the same material as human fingernails! Rhinos have short, thick legs which they need to support their massive weight. They also have three-toed feet.

Despite weighing about the same as a small car (and having short legs) rhinos can run at 65 km per hour. Although rhinos may look pretty tough, their skin is actually quite sensitive, especially to sunburn and insect bites, which is why they sometimes like to wallow in mud.

I bet you didn't know that rhinos have very bad eyesight either and can't make out a person standing still even at 27 metres (just over the length of an average swimming pool). They do have brilliant hearing and a terrific sense of smell though.

Rhinos are vegetarians and either graze on grasses or munch on leaves, buds, shoots and twigs. As you can imagine, they need to eat an enormous amount of vegetation to fill them up!

Rhinos play an important role in "landscaping" their habitat. They act as seed dispensers, eating various plants and then depositing the seeds in their droppings. Since it can take a rhino more than three days to digest a meal, seeds can be transported a significant distance before they are deposited.

Despite rhino horn being made from the same material as human fingernails, some people believe that it contains special healing properties. As a result, rhinos have been killed for their horns for many years. The places where rhinos live are also under threat as the growing human population needs to find new places to live.

WWF funds rhino conservation projects in both Africa and Asia, where they are helping to protect and restore rhino habitats. WWF also trains rangers, whose job it is to stop rhinos being killed for their horns.