White rhinoceroses

Appearance

In today's world, the population of wild-living animals in Africa is not very large. They are native to the central and southern parts of the continent. Their overall appearance is massive, even intimidating. White rhinoceroses weigh up to 3,500 kilograms, which is equivalent to three and a half tonnes or 70 hundredweight. Their head circumference can reach up to four metres, and their shoulder height of 160 to 200 centimetres appears rather stocky. Two horns form directly at the front of the head, with the upper one able to grow longer than 1.50 metres.
The body colour is grey, and the entire animal is hairless, except for the ears and the tip of the tail. Hearing and sight are less developed, unlike their sense of smell.

Lifestyle

This population of rhinoceroses tends to live in groups of up to a dozen animals. However, this mainly applies to the females and their offspring, while the bulls are not as welcome outside of mating season. As they age, they live in their own territory, which they mark and defend against other males. It is hard to imagine when looking at them that an adult animal can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour when galloping. At a normal trot, the animals cover between 10 and 30 kilometres per hour.

Diet

After a gestation period of around 18 months, a calf weighing approximately 40 kilograms is born. It is suckled for about a year, although the young animal starts eating grass just a few days after birth. It usually takes two and a half to three years until the next mating season. White rhinoceroses are herbivores. Their favourite foods include bushes, which must be low-growing due to the size and immobility of the animals, and grass. They like to live near bodies of water such as lakes or shallow rivers with suitable spots for wallowing, a kind of ‘spa treatment for rhinoceroses’.