The rhino’s horn primarily consists of keratin. A similar protein found in human fingernails & hair.
As rhinos mature, the horn grows longer & forms a very sharp tip at the end. Some horns can reach 4.5ft long.
Another physical characteristic of the rhino is the thick skin. Unlike most large mammals, rhinos possess very little subcutaneous fat underneath their skin.
Their skin is 8 inches thick. Inside it… are hard dense muscle fibers & tissues that form a wall of muscle shielding the internal organs from damage.
It’s rear is also very thick & extremely robust more so than any land herbivore.
In this case, a pride of lions cannot safely latch onto it & get a firm grip because the thick armor skin makes up 90% to 95% of the rhino’s anatomy.
All those physical characteristics make the rhino an armored legendary knight tank. It clocks in at 7,800lbs & has short thick robust legs that give it a very low center of gravity & excellent stability.
‘’ How do rhinos use their strength & horns in the wild defending against lions ? ‘’
The rhino relies on the thrust, flip & gore technique.
When a lion approaches, the rhino lowers it head, charges & either drives it’s horn into the lion’s rump or lifts the big cat clean off the ground.
More often than not… lion predation on rhinos is very unlikely & hardly occurs in nature & even then… the vast majority of the individuals{90% to 95%} are calves & subadults.
A pride of lions can periodically hunt & pull down full-grown hippos but certainly not mature healthy adult rhinos of any species.