White Rhino
In the wild
Scientific name: Ceratotherium simum simum
Status: Classified as Near Threatened
Distribution: Northern below the Sahara, Chad to Sudan. Southern – South East Angola and South Africa
Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
At Marwell Wildlife
The rhinos are fed once a day on a diet of rhino pellets combined with horse and pony pellets. They are also given hay to eat throughout the day.
Did you know: a group of rhinos is called a ‘crash’
About White Rhinos
Unlike its common name suggests this enormous, virtually hairless mammal is not in fact white, but slate-grey to yellowish-brown in colour. The ‘white’ is thought to come from a mistranslation of the Afrikaner word for ‘wide’, referring to the animal’s wide mouth.
The white rhino is considered the most sociable of rhino species. They are grazers, feeding on large quantities of grasses that they crop with their wide, square front lip. Watering holes provide them with water almost daily; although they can survive for four or five days without water when conditions are dry. Rhinos have poor eyesight, but good hearing and a very good sense of smell, on which they depend.
The main threat to rhinos is poachers. They are poached for their horn which is used for dagger handles in Yemen and Oman and in Traditional Chinese medicine to cure fever and convulsions, as well as for ornamental purposes.
Adopt a White Rhino from £50.00
Our General Adoption scheme includes all this:
- A special Adoption Certificate
- Recognition at your adopted animal's home
- A photo of a White Rhino
- A day pass to Marwell Wildlife
- An annual subscription to Marwell News
- White Rhino fact sheet
- Presentation folder
- Access to online Adopters Zone
- Car sticker
Want to help even more? Choose Premium Adoption below!