Rhinos are one of the heaviest land animals but one thing puzzles scientists: how do they carry this weight on their stumpy little feet?
Now a team from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is trying to find out.
Rhinos at Colchester Zoo have been trained to walk across a hi-tech track that is packed full of sensors.
This will allow the researchers to measure the pressure and forces in the rhinos' feet to reveal how the weight is distributed.
Prof John Hutchinson, from the RVC's structure and motion laboratory, said: "Rhino feet are a bit of a mystery to us.
"There is a little bit known about their anatomy and their health, but nothing that is known about the mechanics of their feet, the physics, the physiology, the detailed anatomy or the behaviour of how they use their feet."
Under pressure
To find out more, the researchers went to Colchester Zoo, where the rhinos have been trained by their keepers.
The animals are given a signal - a gentle touch on the horn with a pole - then the idea is that they walk through a small, narrow enclosure, which has been fitted with the pressure track.
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