The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest of the five rhinoceros species and, like the black rhinoceros, is native to Africa. Here it inhabits grass savannahs. The southern white rhino is found in southern Africa, where most of the animals live in South Africa. The southern white rhino was introduced to Kenya and Uganda. The northern white rhino is actually found here. However, only two females of this subspecies still live in Kenya - the last two individuals of this subspecies in the world!
In contrast to the four other rhino species, the white rhino is not a strict loner, but usually occurs in small groups of around six animals. These groups consist of adult cows and young animals. The bulls, on the other hand, are loners and do not tolerate other adult bulls in their territory. The cows only visit them for mating. After the birth of a calf, the females can react very aggressively to the bulls.
The white rhino feeds mainly on grasses. It is perfectly adapted to this diet thanks to its wide mouth. In contrast, the black rhino can use its pointed mouth to pluck leaves from trees, which are its main food. An adult white rhino has no natural predators. However, poaching is causing the population to decline sharply. Poachers are mainly after rhino horn. This is a major threat to all rhino species.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the white rhinoceros is only considered ‘potentially threatened’ (NT). According to the WWF, there are around 20,000 individuals of this species in Africa. However, only around 5,000 black rhinos still live there, meaning that this species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ (CR). The three other rhino species do not live in Africa, but in Asia. There are around 3,000 of the black rhino left in the wild. The species is therefore classified as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Only around 100 to 200 Sumatran rhinos and fewer than 60 Java rhinos still live in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, meaning that these two species are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR).