White Rhinoceros: Ceratotherium simum
Subspecies:
- Northern white rhino, C. s. cottoni (endangered)
- Southern white rhino, C. s. simum
Characteristics
Weight and Height
males: wt 448-4972 lb (2040-2260 kg), ht 68-73 in (171-186 cm)
females: wt 3520 lb (1600 kg), ht 66-71 in (165-178 cm)
Horns
Front horn is typically the largest (24 in [60 cm]); the rear horn is much shorter than front horn and is a triangular shape. Females' horns are generally longer than males'.
Color
slate gray to yellow-brown
General Locations
The white rhino was quite abundant in the Northern Savanna, west of the White Nile and Southern Savanna, south of Zambezi. Due to its calm nature, the white rhino became easy prey to human hunters. The southern white rhino was almost extinct, however, due to preservation efforts, several thousand white rhinos have been reintroduced to the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe GR.
The white rhino can be seen in the following National Parks and Reserves: Umfolozi GR, Kruger NP, South Africa; Hwange NP, Zimbabwe; Garamba NP, Zaire.
Habitat
The white rhino prefers a habitat which includes grassland with water, trees, and mud wallows. The rhino is the largest pure grazer in Africa and is quite unique because of the way that its mouth is constructed for feeding. The white rhino's wide mouth and strong lips enable it to graze broad areas of dense green grass. The rhino is able to go 2 to 4 days without water year-round, but will drink twice a day when near water.
Activity
The white rhino is both a diurnal and nocturnal animal. The rhino spends about 12 hours a day feeding, 8 hours resting, and the rest of the day socializing, drinking, wallowing and walking.
Social Systems
The white rhino is considered the most sociable member of the rhino family. Rhinos tend to stay closer together than most other browsers that consider open habitats home. In some areas, an average of 12.5 rhinos were seen per square mile (5/sq. km) which is 3 times the density of the black rhino.
Males are quite territorial and are considered solitary beings while females tend to associate with groups. An average home range is 198-642 acres (80-260 ha) and can contain 6 or 7 territories. This means that there is only enough space for 2/3 of the adult males to have their own territory. On average, rhinos herd in groups with 6 members which have proven to be quite stable.
Reproduction
The birth peak for white rhinos is during the rainy season. Most females mature by the age of 7 and males by 10 or 12 years. The gestation period for the white rhino is 15 to 16 months.
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