The Southern White Rhino is Africa's largest rhino, a grazer with a broad, square lip for eating grass, known for its impressive comeback from near extinction, now classified as Near Threatened, living in herds (cows/calves) or solitary (bulls), and relying on excellent hearing/smell despite poor eyesight, using its keratin horns for defense and social cues.
Key Facts:
Size: Massive, up to 2,500 kg (5,500 lbs) or more, making them the third-largest land mammal.
Diet: Herbivore (grazer) with a distinctive wide, flat mouth for cropping grasses.
Horns: Two horns, front one longer, made of keratin (like fingernails).
Social Behavior: Semi-social; females & young form herds (crashes), while mature males (bulls) are usually solitary and territorial.
Senses: Poor eyesight but excellent hearing and sense of smell.
Habitat: Grasslands and savannahs in Southern Africa, with strongholds in South Africa.
Conservation: Once nearly extinct, conservation efforts saved them; now Near Threatened, but still vulnerable to poaching.
Fun Fact: They love mud baths (wallowing) to cool down and protect skin from sun/insects.
