Animals

98% of white rhinos occur in just five countries (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda). They are found in grassland and savannah habitats which include trees and water

After the elephant, the white rhino is one of the largest land animals in the world (the Indian rhino and hippo are of comparable size). Males weigh 2000-3600kg, with females weighing 1400-1700kg.

The hump on the back of their neck contains the ligament that supports the weight of the head that can weigh 362-454kg. They measure 3.35-4m in length and reach a height of 1.5-1.85m.

White rhinos have biggest horn of all rhinos. The longest white rhino horn measured 2m but few rhinos live long enough to grow a horn this length. An average pair of horns weighs about 6kg. It is not a true horn that is attached to the skull but grows from the skin and is made of keratin fibres. Horns are used in conflict by rival males but despite fearsome appearance rarely inflict a serious injury

Rhinos have poor eyesight they rely on its keen sense of smell to locate food, water and other rhino. The olfactory passages, which are responsible for smell, are larger than their entire brain. They also have good hearing, with their large, tubular ears able to swivel to pick up the slightest sound.

Rhinos may look indestructible but their skin is quite sensitive, especially to sunburn and biting insects, which is why they like to wallow in mud.

Considered a slow lumbering animal but can turn 180 degrees very quickly and run fast over a short distance

Bulls tend to be solitary and establish territories, which they defend. The male marks the boundaries of his territory by spraying it with urine and excrement.

Females and sub-adults are more sociable, living in small groups. Females have a large range, which they roam in search of food and water. Although area overlaps with males and other females she can move around quite freely. When female rhinos meet they will greet each other with nose to nose touching and sometimes rub their horns together.

Male rhinos become sexually mature at about 7-8 years but they are prevented from breeding until they can claim their first territory or attain dominant status at about 10 years.

When a female is ready to mate she communicates this by spraying urine as she passes through a male’s territory. A male will then try to keep her in his territory by chasing her back if she tries to leave. The female is usually aggressive at first as she often has a calf with her which may be attacked by him. Eventually she allows him to approach. After mating she and calf move away from male’s territory

Rhinos will mate any time of year but tend to mate during rainy season, meaning more babies are born in dry season.

They have a gestation period of 16 months and will usually have one calf every 2 or 3 years. By the time she gives birth, her previous calf is usually about two years old and still by her side. She chases this calf away and gives birth on her own. She will keep her new calf isolated for a few days to protect it from being trampled by other rhinos. By the time it is 3 days old the baby can walk with its mother.

Baby rhinos are not born with horns. By the time the baby is about 5 weeks old, the horn has acquired a definite shape.

In the wild white rhino calves usually run in front of the mother whereas black rhino usually trot behind their mothers. This behaviour is a function of the different types of habitat they live in. In grasslands the white rhino mother can offer better protection against predators with baby in front where in woodlands the mother must forge a trail and protect baby from surprise ambushes.

The Southern white rhinoceros graze on the grasses common in their habitat. Although it has no front teeth it may use its horn to dig up roots where the grass is too short for grazing. Sometimes they are seen eating soil, where they obtain certain minerals not otherwise available. They will eat between 60-80kg a day and spend about 50% of daylight hours feeding.

They are able to go two to four days without water, but will drink up to 80 litres of water a day if water is nearby. If the area in which it feeds is dry it may walk up to 10km to find a new supply.

Southern white rhinoceros were once widespread across southern Africa. Well protected against natural predators by horns and thick hide but these offer little defence against humans. They were almost wiped out by poachers in the 19th century, with less than 100 individuals surviving. Operation Rhino was a conservation program to save the southern white rhino from extinction in the early 1990s and today is still probably one the world’s most successful conservation efforts.  There are over 10,000 white rhinos in the wild today.

White rhino is most common of all rhinos and consists of two subspecies, with the northern subspecies being rarer than the southern

Their conservation helps maintain biological diversity and ecological integrity over extensive areas.
One of the largest pure grazers alive, seed dispersal and the hindering of woody plant encroachment are important parts of their role in the grasslands