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Southern white rhinoceros
photo: WWF-Canon /
Martin HARVEY |
The white rhino is the largest of all rhino subspecies and is the second largest land mammal, smaller only than the elephant. This rhino has a square mouth with broad lips. Brown to slate gray in color, the white rhino is hairless except for the ears and tail bristles, and has two horns: the front horn is larger and the horn behind it is smaller. Considered a grazer, the species feeds primarily on grasses. White rhinos weigh from 5,070 to 7,936 pounds (southern white rhinos can weigh up to 9,000 pounds), can reach a height (at shoulder length) of 5-6 feet and a length of 12 1/2-15 feet. White rhinos have possibly the most complex social structure of any rhino species. Temporary associations of up to 14 individuals have been observed and smaller associations, particularly of several females and calves, are common. The gestation period is approximately 16 months with a period of two to three years between calves. There are two subspecies of white rhino: the northern white rhino and the southern white rhino.
Northern white rhino
The northern white rhino, listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List, has been devastated by poaching and is now confined to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to a 2001 survey compiled by IUCN's rhino specialist group there are 30 northern white rhinos left, all of which reside in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Southern white rhino
The southern white rhino, the largest of all rhino species weighing from 7,000 - 9,000 pounds, now is also the most numerous, and its recovery has been recognized as one of the world's greatest conservation successes. In the late nineteenth century it was considered extinct, but in 1895 a small population was discovered in the Umfolozi-Hluhluwe region in Natal, South Africa. By the early 20th century, Umfolozi-Hluhluwe parks had initiated an endangered breeding center to restore populations of the southern white rhino. After more than a century of protection, southern white rhinos now number more than 11,000. Most of these rhinos are confined to protected areas and private ranches which are mainly located in southern Africa. This rhino is listed as vulnerable on IUCN's red list, which as of 2001, lists the number of southern white rhino at approximately 11,640.
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