Any of five or six species of enormous horned herbivores, including some of the biggest surviving land animals, are referred to as rhinoceros (family Rhinocerotidae), rhinoceroses, rhinoceros, or rhinoceri. The two largest rhinoceros species are the white, or square-lipped, rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), which some distinguish into two species (northern white rhinoceros [C. cottoni] and southern white rhinoceros [C. simum]), and the Indian, or greater one-horned, rhinoceros. Only African and Asian elephants are taller at the shoulder than these two rhinoceros species (Rhinoceros unicornis).
The Indian rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros (R. sondaicus), and Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) are found in Asia, while the white and black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are found in Africa. The endangered status of all but one of the remaining species stands in stark contrast to their early history as one of the most successful lineages of hoofed mammals. There are possibly less than 30,000 rhinoceros in existence today across all species. Today, rhinoceroses are only found in subtropical and tropical Asia, as well as in eastern and southern Africa.
It was discovered that a fossilized skull first believed to be from a dragon was instead from an extinct woolly rhinoceros. In the southern Austrian city of Klagenfurt, there is a statue of the fabled dragon or Lindwurm, which has wings like bats and a body like a crocodile. Around the year 1500, the statue was built, some thirty years after a sizable skull was discovered nearby. The skull was utilized in sculptures as a model for the dragon’s head, but it wasn’t until many years later that experts realized it belonged to an extinct species of rhinoceros from the last Ice Age, the woolly rhinoceros.
It is also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros because of its square-off lips – an adaptation that helps it feed on the short grass of the savannas. There are two subspecies of this animal, the northern white rhinoceros, and the southern white rhinoceros. The former is severely endangered, with only a few people away from captivity, but the latter is found abundantly in its natural habitat.
Accommodation and geographical distribution
The habitat of this species is usually characterized by water holes, mud valleys, and abundant trees. Once found in abundance in Uganda, Chad, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and parts of Congo, the northern white species is found only today in the Garamba National Park in Congo. On the other hand, the main concentration of the southern white species is found in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Uganda, where together 1.6 percent of the population is.
There are several very interesting facts about white rhinos. White rhinoceros (or white rhinoceros) is one of the five species of rhinoceros on earth today.
Interesting facts about white rhinos
The white rhinoceros is the second-largest ground mammal in the world. The average length of an adult rhinoceros can reach from 5 to 3.5 meters and a shoulder height of 4 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 3 inches. It is known as a weight anywhere between 3,000 and 8,000 pounds. Below is more information about this type of animal that is bound to surprise you.
- A white rhinoceros head has two horns made of keratin. The horn in the front is even larger.
- The legs of this species are stomped and usually marked by three toes on each level.
- Being a vegetarian eater in nature, its diet consists mainly of grass grown in savannas.
- White rhinoceros can freely use their ears, as the lizard uses their eyes.
- The confluence between these breeds occurs at different times of the year, from February to June, in the final stages, and the female gives birth to a calf 470 to 490 days after pregnancy.
- There are five species of rhinoceros. Only white and black rhinos live in Africa and the other three live in Asia.
- The female white rhinoceros is called the cow and the male bull.
- Every day in South Africa at least one white rhino is illegally killed for his horn. So far in 2017, three rhinoceros are poached daily to sell their horn to Asian buyers. The rhino horn has no proven medicinal herbal properties and cannot cure any disease.
- The largest of the five species is the white rhinoceros.
- The white rhinoceros is the second largest ground mammal after the elephant in Africa.
- Male white rhinoceros can grow to 1.8 meters (5.9 ft) tall and weigh 2,500 kg (5,500 lbs) – that’s 30 men’s weight!
- Despite their enormous size, the white rhinoceros can run up to 40 km / h (25 miles) for short periods of time.
- These huge animals do not eat meat but are vegetarian and mostly fed on grass.
- I love the smell of white rhinoceros! Mud protects their skin from being sunburnt and also acts as an insect repellent.
- Rhinoceroses are mostly desolate animals. However, white rhinoceros prefer to survive in a squad known as a crash. Rhino’s Mum Thandi, Colin, and sister Thembi often got into an accident together. This group often includes other women and their calves.
- Although it is called white rhinoceros, it is not white, but gray. This name may be misinterpreted from Dutch to English. The Dutch word ‘wizard’, which means ‘wide’ in English, was used to denote the width of its mouth.
- Like many other African species, even white rhinoceroses are prone to poaching. The species has been heavily hunted over the past few decades, mainly for their keratin horns, which are in great demand in the international market due to their medicinal herbs and ornamental value.
- Northern white rhinoceros is on the verge of extinction because of continued hunting and a lack of conservation systems. The southern white species has been listed as a ‘near-threatened’ species by the International Union for Natural Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but large-scale poaching of this species will soon force its population to decline.
Other Recommended Reading
- White Rhino Population Graph over Time in the World
- Rhino Horn Trade – Ban | Fact | History | Statistics
- Javan Rhinoceros – Does a Rhino have Two Hearts?
- Sumatran Rhinoceros – Why are Sumatran Rhinos Important?
- African Rhino Extinct – Conservation Efforts Taken
- Where do Black Rhino Live -Black Rhinoceros Habitat
- Interesting Facts about White Rhinos
- Northern White Rhinoceros – Northern White Rhino Facts
- Are the Northern White Rhinoceros Extinct?
- African Rhino Facts – Why is the Black Rhino Important?
- Black Rhino Hunting – Why are Black Rhinos Hunted?
- White Rhino Diet – How much do White Rhinos Eat?
- Why are White Rhinos Endangered
- Javan Rhino Conservation
- How many Rhinos are there in the World?
- Is a Rhino Horn made of Bone or Ivory?
- How Much Does a Rhino Horn Weigh?
- What do White Rhinos Eat for Survival?
- White Rhino Extinct – Can We Save the White Rhino?
- White Rhino Conservation – How did White Rhinos go Extinct?