Talk:White rhinoceros/Archive 1

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Rhino species

Black, Northern White, Southern White, Javan, Great Indian and Sumatran. Tho Northern White and Javan there is very few left--Big5Hunter 12:15, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Don't want to leave this unaddressed for anyone who might be reading. Northern and Southern White are subspecies. The only five at the species level are White, Black, Javan, Indian and Sumatran. --JayHenry 05:03, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

This article should be updated and merged to include both species Northern (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) and Southern (Ceratotherium simum simum). Also there is only 7 Northern know to be alive now (Early 2007 stat).--Big5Hunter 12:27, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Introduction

The introduction talks about white rhino being the second biggest land animal. According to that the great one horn rhino (or whatever it's called) is actually larger. I am especially concerned about the introduction that sounds very similar to the one for great one horn rhino. Only one of them is the second largest land animal but I really do not know which one gets the honor so I will not fix it myself. Could some rhino expert look at that?

Indian Rhinoceros has about the same mass. Probably no way to distinguish which on average is larger. Rmhermen 15:09, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Something

There is non-sense in the article "White Rhino" - Angalifu is NOT the last known male Northern White Rhino in existence. In Dvur Kralove live another two males (there were three there, as is written in wiki article "Northern White Rhino", but one of them died already). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.98.154.152 (talk) 08:50, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Removed "A study has shown that they are very cool!!!" Don't think that should have been there. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 83.141.119.180 (talk) 12:14, 4 April 2007 (UTC).

kira The name White Rhino originated in South Africa where the Afrikaans language developed from the Dutch language. The Afrikaans word "wyd" (derived from the Dutch word "wijd"), which means "wide", referred to the width of the Rhinoceros mouth. Early English settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wyd" for "white". So the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called 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 colour 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' genus, Ceratotherium, appropriately means "horned beast". The White Rhinoceros' epithet, simum, is from the Greek simus, meaning "flat nosed" Simum also means a sand storm.

[edit] Physical description The White Rhino has a massive body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. The average size range of a mature rhino is a weight of 1800-3000 kg (4000-6600 lb), a head-and-body length of 3.35-4.2 m (11-13.9 feet) and a shoulder height of 150-185 cm (60-73 inches). The record-sized White Rhinoceros was about 3600 kg. On its snout it has two horns made of keratin, rather than bone as in deer antlers. The front horn is larger that the other horn and averages 89.9 cm (23.6 inches) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 inches). 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 stumpy feet has three toes. The colour of this animal ranges from yellowish brown to slate grey. The only hair on them is on the ear fringes and tail bristles. White Rhinos have the distinctive flat broad mouth which is used for grazing.

Did you mean 59.9 cm? 23.6 in is not 89.9 cm (=35.4 in). --Anshelm '77 20:48, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Its ears can move independently to pick up more sounds but it depends most of all on smell. The olfactory passages which are responsible for smell are larger than their entire brain.

[edit] Behaviour and ecology They are found in grassland and savannah habitat. Herbivores grazers that eats grass, preferring the shortest grains. The White Rhino is one of the largest pure grazers. Regularly it drinks twice a day if water is available, but if conditions get dry it can live four or five days without water. It spends about half of the day eating, one third resting and the rest of the day doing various other things. White Rhinos like all species of rhino love wallowing in mudholes to cool down.

White Rhinos enjoying a wallow in the mud.White rhinos can produce sounds which include a panting contact call, grunts and snorts during courtship, squeals of distress, and deep bellows or growls when threatened. Threat displays (in males mostly) include wiping its horn on the ground and a head-low posture with ears back, combined with snarl threats and shrieking if attacked. Can reach speeds of 18 mph which it can maintain for up to 2 miles, and a galloping speed of 25 mph.

White Rhinos can live in groups of up to 14 animals (usually mostly female). Sub-adult males will congregate, often in association with an adult female. Most adult bulls are solitary. Dominant bulls mark their territory with excrement and urine. The dung is laid in well defined piles. It may have 20-30 of these piles to alert passing rhinos that it's his territory. Another way of marking their territory is wiping his horns on bushes or the ground and scrapes with its feet before urine spraying. They do this around 10 times an hour while patrolling territory. The same ritual as urine marking except without spraying is also commonly used. The territorial male will scrape-mark every 30 yards or so around its territory boundary. Subordinate males do not mark territory. The most serious fights break out over mating rights over a female. Female territory is overlapped extensively and they do not defend it.

[edit] Reproduction Females reach sexually maturity 4-5 years while males reach sexual maturity at a later date which is 10-12 years of age. Courtship is often a difficult affair. The male stays beyond the point were the female acts aggressively and will give out a call when approaching her. The male chases and or blocks the way of the female while squealing or loud-wailing if the female tries to leave his territory. When ready to mate the female curls its tail and gets into a stiff stance during the half hour copulation. Breeding pairs stay together between 5-20 days before they part their separate ways. Gestation occurs around 16-18 months. A single calf is born and weighs between 88 and 143 pounds and are unsteady for their first 2 to 3 days of life. When threatened the baby will run in front of the mother. The mother is very protective of her calf and will fight for her baby vigorously. Weaning starts at 2 months and may continue suckling for over 12 months. The birth interval for the White Rhino is between 2 and 3 years. Before giving birth the mother will chase off her current calf. White Rhinos can live up to 40-50 years old.

[edit] Population and threats The northern subspecies is now only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo while the southern subspecies or majority of white rhino live in South Africa. 98.9% of white rhino occur in just four countries (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya). Almost decimated to the brink of extinction in the early 20th century, they have made a tremendous comeback. In 2001 it was estimated that there was 11,670 white rhino in the wild with a further 777 in captivity worldwide, making it the most common Rhino in the world.

Like the Black Rhino, the White Rhino is under threat from habitat loss and poaching, most recently by an offshoot of the janjaweed. The horn is mostly used for traditional medicine although there are no health benefits from the horn. Poaching also has occurred for jambiyas, which is a dagger used in the Middle East. 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 from 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.

[edit] Gallery A white rhinoceros, showing the 'wide' lip

Mother with a five-week-old baby rhino

White Rhinoceros at the Henry Doorly Zoo

White Rhinos four distinct toes HIII

i love rhinos there just the best by kira

[edit] References

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