The White Rhino An Inquisitive Creature

White Rhino

Interesting Information on the White Rhino. Sometimes Called Square-lipped Rhino

Weight of the White Rhino:

Male: 1800-2500kg.

Female:1200-1900kg.

Life Expectancy of The White Rhino:

40-45 years.

Food Eaten by White Rhino:

Mainly grass as they are predominantly grazers, preferring shorter grass.

Predator:

African Lion.

Habitat of The White Rhino:

The White Rhino likes open plains as well as open savannah with sufficient water and thickets for cover.

White Rhino, When Active:

Mostly diurnal although they do occasionally move around and graze in the nightfall.

Special Information on The White Rhino:

The White Rhino gets it's name, not for the colouring of its skin, but because of the size of the White Rhinos mouth. As the White Rhinos name comes from the Afrikaans word (wyd) meaning wide, because the White Rhino needs a large mouth to consume grass. This is how the White Rhino can be told apart from the Black Rhino ... the Black Rhino has a beaked mouth for browsing purposes.

The White Rhino has suffered a huge decline in numbers as a result of the ivory trade. Poachers would go into game reserves and national parks by digging holes under or cutting the fences. They would do this at night. The poachers would shoot the Rhino once, go in cut off it's two horns and get out of the area as quick as possible and leave the White Rhino to suffer a terrible death.

Fortunately for us and the White Rhino things have been turned around and their numbers are beginning to rise and are being trans-located to other national parks and reserves. Although poaching is still a real threat.

White Rhino are the only specie of Rhino in the world that are social. The White Rhino travel around in herds of 2-15 animals, and consist of calves females and one territorial male bull.