the white rhino - in detail....
White rhino on the prowl
Quick Links
Threats to the population
Where do they live?
What does it eat?
How long do they live for?
How much do they weigh?
How tall are they?
Distinctive features
Reproduction
What habitat do they live in?
The rest of the rhino family
Scientific name!
Ceratotherium Simum
The scientific name takes it origin from the Greek language. ‘cerato’ meaning ‘horn’ and ‘therium’ meaning ‘wild beast’ and ‘simum’ from the Greek simus meaning ‘flat nosed’.
It is also known as the square lipped rhinoceros.
how many exist?
Total white rhino population – 14, 538
The white rhino is divided into 2 subspecies. They differ primarily in where they live: -
Northern White Rhino (Democratic Republic of Congo) – 14
Southern White Rhino (Southern Africa) – 14,524
Their populations differ dramatically. The Southern white rhino has been a huge success story for conservationists after multiple programmes have saved the species from the threat of extinction in the early 20th century. The Northern white rhino however has seen a massive decline in its numbers and is bordering on the threat of extinction, only 4 remain in the wild with a further 10 in captivity.
population status!
The IUCN is The World Conservation Union, one of their many roles is to categorise animal species if their population numbers are declining. They have a red list of threatened species and unfortunately both species of white rhino are on the list.
The current status of the Southern white rhino is NEAR THREATENED
The current status of the Northern white rhino is CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. If this moves down the list 2 steps it will be classified as extinct.
To learn more about the IUCN's Red List of endangered animals and the work it does please follow the link IUCN Red List
threats to population!
White rhino killed for its horn
Demand for the horn stems from: -
- Asia – for its use in traditional medicines and ornamental carvings
- Middle East – for its use in creating handles for daggers
Poverty levels, refugees and internal corruption all add to the prominence of poachers and their usual escape of arrest.
Other secondary threats are the encroaching settlement of humans and the clearing of land for agriculture. The rhino, strangely for its size is a placid animal and does not harbour the same aggression as say a lion or a hippo. For this reason it becomes less feared by poachers.
where do they live?
The white rhino can only be found (naturally in the wild) in Africa. The warm temperatures and open plain grasslands are imperative to their survival. The Southern white rhino lives in 4 countries within the southern area of Africa, primarily in South Africa but also in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The Northern white rhino depleted population can only be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (central Africa).
what do they eat?
Other animals are safe from this giant of the wild as it is a vegetarian. They eat a very simplistic diet of grass. Their big square shaped mouth aids this mass grass consumption as it is designed for grazing. They are the only grazers in the rhino family.
how long do they live for?
They can expect to live in the wild for a period of approximately 40 years, slightly longer in captivity.
how much do they weigh?
The white rhino is an extremely bulky animal and they weigh on average between 2 – 2.5 tonnes
How tall are they?
Their height is similar to that of a human; it ranges between 1.5m – 1.8m (5 – 6ft). When measuring the rhino front to back, its length ranges between 4 – 5m (13 – 15ft).
what are their distinctive features?
Their most well known feature, as with all rhinos are its horns. The white rhino has two horns, the front one being slightly bigger than the rear and can grow up to 50cm. Although they are called white rhinos their colour is in fact a slaty grey to a yellowish brown.
How often do they reproduce?
Mother with her 5 week old baby
There is no strict mating season for the species but when a pair are mating they can stay together for nearly 3 weeks. Breeding females are prevented from leaving a dominant males territory, which is marked and patrolled by its owner on a regular basis. The gestation period is approximately 16 months with a birth interval of 1 calf every 2 -3 years.
what habitat do they live in?
They live in a habitat of open savannah grasslands with water holes, mud wallows and shade trees. The white rhino prefers to avoid the heat during the day and seeks shade under suitable trees; it does most its movements early morning, late afternoon and early evening. If it is exposed to the heat it will settle into shallow mud pools to cool down and rid it of external parasites.
White rhino leaving its mud bath
How is macmac making a difference?
To see how MacMac Clothing is helping conserve white rhinos in Africa please visit our conservation projects area
References!
We would like to thank the International Rhino Federation, WWF, Visit Africa and the IUCN for helping me compile the above information.
who else is part of the rhino family?
The white rhino is not the only species of rhino, there is in fact 4 other breeds. Here is a quick introduction of the others.
black rhino
Black rhino at Busch Gardens in Florida
Scientific Name: Diceros Bicornis (also known as Hook-lipped Rhino)
Population: 3,700 approx
IUCN status: ENDANGERED
Population distribution: Africa only, primarily Eastern and South Eastern parts of the continent, including Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique
Habitat: Grasslands, savannahs and tropical bush lands
Diet: Grass, shrubs, leaves and berries
Features: Is a similar colour to that of the White Rhino (slaty grey) but gained the black title to distinguish between the two species and because they are often found basked in the dark mud of their habitat's mud wallows. Their upper lip is curved to allow them to successfully feed from shrubs and trees. They have two horns like the white rhino and are almost identical in size and weight.
Threats: Poachers for its horn
Indian Rhino
Indian rhino (greater one-horned rhino)
Scientific Name: Rhinoceros Unicornis (also known as the Greater one-horned rhino)
Population: 2,600 approx (up from 200 at the start of the 20th century)
IUCN Status: ENDANGERED
Population Distribution: Northern India and Southern Nepal
Habitat: Flood plain grasslands and adjacent woodland
Features: Their colour is a brownish grey and they have folds in their skin which look similar to coats of armour. They have only one large horn and the upper lip is semi-prehensile, suitably adapted for grasping branches and leaves. They mainly live solitarily.
Diet: Grass, leaves, shrubs and aquatic grass-like plants (when resting in water)
Threats: Poachers for its horn
Sumatran Rhino
Sumatran rhino with her young
Scientific Name: Dicerorhinus Sumatrensis (also known as the hairy rhinocerous)
Population: 275. They exist only in protected areas where they are physically guarded from harm by specific protection units.
IUCN Status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Population Distribution: They reside in patches of the Indonesian Islands of Sumatra and Borneo some can also be found in parts of Malaysia.
Diet: They are browsers with a varied diet. They are opportunistic feeders, seeing what they can find and sampling. Through this they consume many different plant species in the tropical forest.
Habitat: They live in dense tropical forest at both high and low altitudes.
Features: The oddest looking of all the rhino species. They have a hairy, shaggy appearance as oppose to all other rhinos which are hairless. Their hair is a reddish brown colour and they have tufted ears. They live solitarily.
Threats: Poachers for its horn. Numbers have more than halved in the past 15 years.
Java rhino
Javan rhino - the rarest of them all
Scientific name: Rhinoceros Sondaicus
Population: It is thought only 60 animals remain. 50 of these live in Indonesia with the other 10 in Vietnam. They are physically guarded by rhino protection units.
IUCN status: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Population Distribution: They are the rarest of the 5 breeds of rhino. The majority can be found in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park and the others in Vietnam’s Cat Loc Reserve.
Diet: A mixture of plants, leaves and berries. Browsers of what is growing in their habitat.
Habitat: They primarily live in lowland dense tropical forest.
Features: They have similar looking armour coats (folds of skin) to the Indian Rhino but not as prominent. They are also grey and hairless.
Threats: Poachers for its horn.
