White Rhinoceros
The White Rhinoceros, also known as the Square-lipped Rhinoceros, of the five species of rhinoceros is one of the few species that still exist. The White Rhino is well known for two things; it's wide mouth which is used for grazing, and for being the most social of all the rhino species. The name of the White Rhino comes from a misinterpretation of the Afrikaans word "wyd", which translates to "wide". The early English settlers in South Africa took that word for "white" rather than "wide", and so it was named the White Rhinoceros. In contrast to this, the species of rhinoceros with a narrow mouth was named the Black Rhinoceros.
White Rhinoceros Grazing and Five Week Old Baby
Physical Characteristics
The average full grown White Rhino weighs in at a massive 1,800-3,000 kg with some exceptions, such as one White Rhino that weighed in at 3,600 kg. It's length, inclusive of head and body, averages between 3.35-4.20 m, and it's shoulder height comes to approximately 150-185 cm. When viewing a White Rhino you will notice that unlike the majority of the remaining Rhinoceros species, that the White Rhino has two horns; a large front horn, and another small horn just behind it. The front horn averages about 90 cm in length and can reach anywhere up to 150 cm. The White Rhino's mouth is distinct from the other rhino species in that it is much flatter and wider and is used for grazing. The colour of this rhino ranges from a brown colour to a slate grey, and the only hait on them is the tail bristles and on the ear fringes.
Reproduction
The males and females reach sexual maturity at vastly different ages; the female at about 4-5 years, while the male reaches it many years later, when they are about 10-12 years old. The courtship ritual is as follows; the males stay beyond the point in which the females act agressively. When they begin to approach a female, the male will give out a call to make her aware. If the female tries to leave the male's territory, the male will chase the female, or block her way, while either loud-wailing or squealing. When the female becomes ready to mate, she will curl her tail and become stiff. The two will then continue to copulate for a period of about half an hour.
The breeding pair will stay together for approximately 5-20 days after copulation, then they will part ways. The pregnancy period for this rhino lasts around 16-18 months, at the end of which a single calf is born. This calf will weigh around 40-65 kg and it will be unsteady for the first few days of it's life. The interval at which a White Rhino can give birth is between 2 and 3 years. Once a White Rhino is pregnant with another calf, just before it's birth, the moth will chase off her current calf.
Population
It is estimated that, as of February 2005, there are approximately 11,300 white rhinoceros in the wild, and a further 750 in captive. This number makes this species of rhinoceros the most populous of the five remaining species. The White Rhino, not unlike the Black Rhino, is under threat from poaching and habitat loss.
Poaching
The White Rhino is generally poached for it's horn, for which several cultures have different uses for. The horn is used in traditional medicine, though there are no health benefits from it. Ingesting any of the horn is the equilavent to biting your fingernails and swallowing them, as the rhinoceros' horn is made up of roughly the same components. The rhino's horn is also use to make a dagger used in the Middle East, called the Jambiya.
Misc. Info
- White Rhinos are apart of the Rhinocerotidae family
- There are two subspecies of White Rhino; the Northen White Rhino, and the Southern White Rhino
- White Rhinos can live up to between 40 and 50 years of age
- White Rhinos sometimes live in groups of up to 14 (generally comprised mostly of females)
- Can reach galloping speed of approximately 40 kmh
- Can maintain approximately 29 kmh for approximately 3 km