The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 90 cm (35 in) in length and can reach 150 cm (59 in).

The white rhino has an immense body and large head, a short neck and broad chest. A popular idea that 'white' is a distortion of either the Afrikaans word wyd or the Dutch word wijd (or its other possible spellings whyde, weit, etc.,), meaning 'wide' and referring to the rhino's square lips, is not supported by linguistic studies. There is no conclusive explanation of the name 'white rhinoceros'. The northern subspecies is critically endangered, with all that is known to remain being two captive females. As of 2013, the southern subspecies has a wild population of 20,405-making them the most abundant rhino subspecies in the world. There are two subspecies of white rhinoceros: the southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum simum) and the northern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum cottoni). For instance, in a study there were three northern white rhinoceroses with 81 chromosomes. Chromosomal polymorphism might lead to varying chromosome counts. While the black rhinoceros has 84 chromosomes (diploid number, 2N, per cell), all other rhinoceros species have 82 chromosomes. Interspecific hybridisation of black and white rhinoceroses has also been confirmed. cottoni) was bred at the Dvůr Králové Zoo (Zoological Garden Dvur Kralove nad Labem) in the Czech Republic in 1977. Ī subspecific hybrid white rhino ( Ceratotherium s. The Sumatran rhinoceros is the only surviving representative of the Dicerorhinini. There are two living Rhinocerotini species, the Indian rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros, which diverged from one another about 10 million years ago. The main difference between black and white rhinos is the shape of their mouths – white rhinos have broad flat lips for grazing, whereas black rhinos have long pointed lips for eating foliage.

The species diverged during the early Pliocene (about 5 million years ago). The two African species, the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros, belong to the tribe Dicerotini, which originated in the middle Miocene, about 14.2 million years ago. The living species fall into three categories. The family Rhinocerotidae consists of only four extant genera: Ceratotherium (white rhinoceros), Diceros (black rhinoceros), Dicerorhinus (Sumatran rhinoceros), and Rhinoceros (Indian and Javan rhinoceros). The name has been in use since the 14th century. The word rhinoceros is derived through Latin from the Ancient Greek: ῥῑνόκερως, which is composed of ῥῑνο- ( rhino-, 'nose') and κέρας ( keras, ' horn') with a horn on the nose.

See also: List of perissodactyls RhinocerotidaeĬladogram following a phylogenetic study. A market also exists for rhino horn dagger handles in Yemen, which was the major source of demand for rhino horn in the 1970s and 1980s. Rhino horns are made of keratin, the same material as hair and fingernails, and there is no good evidence of any health benefits. The contemporary market for rhino horn is overwhelmingly driven by China and Vietnam, where it is bought by wealthy consumers to use in traditional Chinese medicine, among other uses. Rhinoceroses are killed by poachers for their horns, which are bought and sold on the black market for high prices, leading to most living rhinoceros species being considered endangered. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African species of rhinoceros lack teeth at the front of their mouths they rely instead on their lips to pluck food. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. They have a herbivorous diet, small brains 400–600 g (14–21 oz) for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in), protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a lattice structure. Rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna: all weigh at least one tonne in adulthood. Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South and Southeast Asia. A rhinoceros ( / r aɪ ˈ n ɒ s ər ə s/ from Ancient Greek ῥῑνόκερως ( rhīnókerōs) 'nose-horned' from ῥῑ́ς ( rhī́s) 'nose', and κέρας ( kéras) 'horn' PL: rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae it can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea.

Picture of a rhino