About White Rhinos

Physical Characteristics

• The white rhino is not actually white, it is gray. It is most distinguished from other species of rhinos by its squared lips. White rhinos have a massive body, and many exceed weights of 6,670 lbs. Their head is large, with a short neck and a broad chest. White rhinos have two horns reaching lengths of 2 to 5 feet with the one in the front being the longest. The white rhino is an ungular mammal, with hoofs that have three toes.

Habitat

• White rhinos live in the grasslands, savannas and shrub lands of Northeastern and Southern Africa. White rhinos require areas of grass, sufficient bush cover and a relatively flat terrain. Local watering holes provide water for drinking and bathing.

Diet

• The wide, square upper lip of the white rhino is well-suited for feeding on grasses. They are herbivores, living off a variety of foliage. White rhinos tend to be grazers, and are able to tolerate plants that are toxic to other animals on the African plains. Although they drink daily, white rhinos are capable of going up to five days without water.

Behavior

• While rhinos tend to be solitary animals, white rhinos are the most sociable of the species. They often form in herds of one to seven. Rhinos use scent to mark territory and to identify one another. They communicate through complex breathing patterns, vocalizations and infrasound. White rhinos avoid the heat during the day, taking cover from the sun by lying in the shade, and are most active in the morning and late afternoon. They cool themselves and rid themselves of external parasites by wallowing in the mud of water holes.

Reproduction

• Female white rhinos become sexually mature at about the age of 7. The gestation period of a white rhino is 15 to 18 months. The mother gives birth to a single calf that weighs between 140 to 150 lbs. This calf stays with its mother until the next calf is born. The calf is weaned by the time it is a year old, and separates from the mother when it is 2 to 3 years old.