The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exists and is one of the few megaherbivore species left. It is native to Northeastern and southern Africa. The rhinos tend to group in herds of one to seven animals, though they are solitary animals. On its snout it has two horns made of keratin fibers (and not bone, as in deer antlers).
The White Rhino differs from the Black Rhinoceros because of the shape of its mouth – it is wide, for cropping large swaths of grass; the term "White" actually comes from the Afrikaans word "weit", meaning 'wide'. A White Rhino's skin color is quite similar to that of the Black Rhino.
The White Rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck which supports its large head. Each of the rhino's four feet has three toes. It is sometimes known as the Square-lipped Rhinoceros because of its protrudent lip that helps it graze on short grasses quickly in the savanna.
There are two subspecies of White Rhinos; as of 2005, South Africa has a Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum ssp. simum) population of about 11,000, making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world.
The Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni), formerly found in several countries in East and Central Africa, are believed to exist in only three places:
The rhinos have rarely reproduced in captivity; since 1995, only one female calf has been born, at Dvur Kralove.
Poaching
Like the Black Rhino, the White Rhino is under threat from habitat loss and poaching, most recently by an offshoot of the janjaweed. This increase led conservationists in January 2005 to propose airlifting White Rhinos remaining in Garamba into Kenya. Resentment of foreign interference within the Congo has prevented the airlift from happening as of March 2005.
Trivia
- The rhinos are capable of going four or five days without water.
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