The Big 5: Lions, Elephants, Rhino, Leopards & Buffalo
THE LION (PANTHERA LEO)


THE WHITE RHINOCEROS (CERATOTHERIUM SIMUM)

Conservation Status of the Northern White Rhino: Critically Endangered
Conservation Status of the Southern White Rhino: Conservation Dependent
ICUN Red List of Threatened Species
Gestation period is 16 – 18 months.
The calf will generally be found in front of the mother, particularly when threatened. As grazers, White Rhinos are found in the open and with poor eye sight the calf is more easily protected if in front of the Mother.
The white rhino is a bulk grazer. White rhino males are larger than females. Calves are born weighing 65 kilograms (143 pounds). The white rhinoceros can be differentiated from the black by – longer skull, less sharply defined forehead and more pronounced shoulder hump.
The white rhino is also called the “square-lipped rhinoceros” because of its broad, square upper lip, which it uses for grazing (the white rhino is a ‘bulk grazer’). The front horn is larger than the back horn and averages 60 – 150 centimetres (24 – 59 inches) in length.
The white rhinoceros is not actually white, but slate or brownish-grey, like the black rhinoceros. The reference to “white” resulted from a mistranslation of the Afrikaner word for “wide” (referring to the wide mouth). The white rhino, like other rhino species, has poor vision but good hearing and a very good sense of smell.
The white rhinoceros is found in the long and short grass savannas and woodlands of southern and central Africa. It requires relatively flat terrain, bush for cover, grass for grazing and water for drinking and wallowing in.
– BBC Wildlife Footage – White Rhino Mating Ritual
– BBC Wildlife Footage – Mating, Fighting & Pregnancy
THE BLACK RHINOCEROS (DICEROS BICORNIS)


