White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) Fact Sheet: Summary

Describer (Date): Burchell (1817)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Perissodactyla

Family: Rhinocerotidae

Genus: Ceratotherium

Species: C. simum

Subspecies: C. s. simum (southern)
Subspecies: C. s. cottoni (northern)

Body Weight:
Males: 2,300 kg (5,100 lbs)
Females: 1,800 kg (4,000 lbs)

Body Length (head body):  360-420 cm (12-14 ft)

Tail Length: 80-100 cm (3 ft)

Pelage: Hair only at tip of tail and fringes of ears

Horns: Two horns on rostrum, one in front of the other

Range: Disjunct populations in east-central Africa and southern Africa

• C. s. cottoni: last remaining sighted in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2008
• C. s. simum: predominantly in South Africa; few dispersed across 6 other south African countries

Habitat: Grasslands and savannahs; do not like closed forest or thick brush.

IUCN Status: Near Threatened (2020 assessment)

CITES Appendix: C. s. simum from South Africa Appendix II; all other populations of both subspecies Appendix I

Population in Wild:  

• C. s. cottoni (northern) - 2 individuals remaining
• C. s. simum (southern) - approximately 20,000 individuals

Locomotion: Fairly sedentary; do not disperse very rapidly

Activity Cycle: Most active (feeding) early morning and late afternoon; rest during midday. At night, alternate between resting and feeding

Social Groups: Not very social. Territorial bulls almost always alone. Females with calves or unrelated adolescents. Groups of adolescents

Diet: Consume short grasses

Predators: Humans; young may be vulnerable to lions.

Sexual Maturity:
Females: 6.5 - 7 years
Males: 10-12 years

Gestation: 16 months

Litter Size: 1

Age at Weaning: at about 1 year of age

Typical Life Expectancy:
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 36 to 37 years

Feature Facts

• Second largest land mammal; largest rhino
• Distinctive broad, flat upper lip
• Can gallop up to 40 kph (25 mph)
• Typically rest lying down, rather than standing
• Good sense of smell
• Males highly territorial; use urine to mark territory boundaries
• Adult males often solitary
• Known for mutualistic relationships with oxpecker, drongo, and egret birds
• Easy target of poachers due to poor eyesight
• 94 southern white rhinos born at the Wild Animal Park between 1971 and 2015. Remarkable conservation success story.
• San Diego Zoo Safari Park was the last zoo in the world to have northern white rhinos in its collections. Nola, a 41-year-old female, died in 2015. The 2 remaining white rhinos live at Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Efforts underway to breed using southern white rhino surrogate mothers.