White rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum

The white rhino is one of the biggest land animals after the elephant. It grazes with its wide, flat lips, cropping grass short like a lawnmower.

Yaman scale

Drawn side by side with Yaman, to the same scale.

Shoulder height1.1Yamans

White rhinoceros: shoulder height 1.7 m — that's 1.1 times Yaman's height.

Weight59Yamans

Around 2.1 tonnes — as heavy as 59 Yamans.

Where does the white rhinoceros live?: Savannas of southern and eastern Africa. In our zoo it lives in the Savanna zone.
What does the white rhinoceros eat?: It is a herbivore: it eats plants.
How big does the white rhinoceros get?: Shoulder height: 1.7 m. It weighs 1.7–2.4 tonnes.
How long does the white rhinoceros live?: 40–50 years in the wild.
How fast is the white rhinoceros?: It can reach about 50 km/h.
Is the white rhinoceros endangered?: On the IUCN Red List it is listed as near threatened. Safe for now, but could be at risk soon.

Its name has nothing to do with colour — "white" probably comes from a misheard word meaning "wide".
Its horn is not bone; it is made of keratin, the same stuff as our hair and nails.
Its eyesight is poor, but its senses of smell and hearing are excellent.

Near threatened. Safe for now, but could be at risk soon.

IUCN Red List