Did you know that the name rhinoceros means ‘nose horn’?
The origin of the name is from ancient Greek – rhine (nose) and ceros (horn).
1. White and Black Rhinos are the same colour.
The white and black rhinos are the only species found in Africa and you might be wondering how they got their names. The name has nothing to do with their colour – in fact both rhinos are closer to grey than they are to white or black.
The white rhino got its name from an Afrikaans word, “wyd” that described its mouth as being wide. The name was later mispronounced to mean white. On the other hand, the other rhino was named black to distinguish it from the white one.
2. What is the difference between White & Black Rhinos?
If you are on a game drive/safari, you there are ways you can differentiate between the two.
- Shape of their bodies – the black rhino is smaller than the white one.
- Mouth shape and feeding habit – the black rhino has a hooked upper lip that makes it feed well on bushes and trees. The white rhino has a square upper lip – perfect for feeding on grass.
- The white rhino has a longer front horn and a shorter second horn. On the other hand, the black rhino’s front horn is much shorter and an even smaller second horn.
- Their habitat – because of their feeding habit you can find black rhinos mostly in dense and bushy areas. White rhinos are often seen in open plains, grasslands and fields.
3. There are Five Species of Rhinos
There are five species of rhinos in the world. These are the two African species – white and black rhinos. The others are the Asian species – Greater one-horned, the Sumatran and the Javan rhinos. The Sumatran, Javan and Black rhinos are listed as ‘critically endangered’ as there are thought to be fewer than 70 Javan and 100 Sumatran rhinos left.
The white rhino is classified as ‘near threatened’ with around 10,000 individuals, whereas the Greater one-horned rhino is currently vulnerable in the wild.
4. Rhinos communicate through poo, honks and snorts
They communicate with each through dung and urine. They can smell the dung with their good sense of smell. The black rhinos usually snort when they are angry.
5. Rhinos love mud and some of them can’t swim
Rhinos can often be seen rolling in mud. The mud acts as a protective covering that cools their skin cool and keeps insects and parasites off. The African rhinos (White & black) can’t swim and thus are always seen in the muddy areas. The Asian Rhinos (Javan, Sumatran, Greater one-horned) are excellent swimmers and can dive under water.