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The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exists and is one of the few megaherbivore species left. It is native to Northeastern and southern Africa. The rhinos tend to group in herds of one to seven animals, though they are solitary animals. On its snout it has two horns made of keratin fibers (and not bone, as in deer antlers).
The name White Rhino originated in South Africa where the Afrikaans language developed from the Dutch language. The dutch word wijd which means wide is pronounced almost like the afrikaans word wit which in turn means white. So the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being call the White Rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the Black Rhinoceros. The wide mouth was adapted to cropping large swaths of grass, while the narrow mouth was adapted to eating leaves on bushes. A White Rhino's skin color is quite similar to that of the Black Rhino. An alternative common name for the white rhinoceros, more accurate but rarely used, is the square-lipped rhinoceros.
The White Rhinoceros also has a noticeable hump on the back of its neck which supports its large head. Each of the rhino's four feet has three toes. It is capable of going four or five days without water.
There are two subspecies of White Rhinos; as of 2005, South Africa has a Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum ssp. simum) population of about 11,000, making them the most abundant subspecies of rhino in the world. Southern whites will readily breed in captivity given appropriate amounts of space and food, as well as the presence of other female rhinos of breeding age. For instance, the San Diego Wild Animal Park has had ninety calves born since 1972.
The Northern White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum ssp. cottoni), formerly found in several countries in East and Central Africa, is considered Critically Endangered. They are believed to exist in only three places:
Northern whites have rarely reproduced in captivity; since 1995, only one female calf has been born, at Dvur Kralove.
Poaching
A white rhinoceros, showing the 'wide' lip.
Like the Black Rhino, the White Rhino is under threat from habitat loss and poaching, most recently by an offshoot of the janjaweed. A recent population count in the Congo turned up only 10 rhinos left in the wild, which led conservationists in January 2005 to propose airlifting White Rhinos remaining in Garamba into Kenya. Although official approval was initially obtained, resentment of foreign interference within the Congo has prevented the airlift from happening as of the beginning of 2006.
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