White rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum

The largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 19,682 - 21,077 wild-living animals in the year 2015, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies has very few remaining individuals, with only two confirmed left in 2018 (two females: Fatu, 18 and Najin, 29), both in captivity. Sudan, the world's last known male Northern white rhinoceros, died in Kenya on 19 March 2018 at age 45.

Classification

  • Class

    Mammalia

  • Domain

    Eukaryota

  • Family

    Rhinocerotidae

  • Genus

    Ceratotherium

  • Kingdom

    Animalia

  • Order

    Perissodactyla

  • Phylum

    Chordata

  • Species

    C. simum

Vernacular Name

White rhinoceros

Binomial Name

Ceratotherium simum

Other Names

White rino

Square-lipped rhinoceros

References