![]() There are four subspecies of the Black Rhino.Īlthough the name of the Black Rhino is confusing as it is not black, the name was chosen to distinguish it from the White Rhino. The female will weigh about 4,000 pounds. The White Rhino male is slightly larger than the female.Ī male White Rhino will weigh around 5,000 pounds. The coloring ranges from slate grey to a yellowish brown. The White Rhino has a huge body, large head with a short neck and a broad (wide) chest. The name for this species is believed to have come from either the Afrikaans word ‘wyd’ or the Dutch word ‘wijd’ which actually means ‘wide’ and describes the appearance of wide, square lips of this species. On the other hand, the Northern White is considered critically endangered with just two captive females known to exist. There happen to be two subspecies of this rhino – the Southern White and the Northern White and the Southern species had a recorded population in 2013 of well over 20,000. The White Rhinoceros is the most abundant rhino subspecies in the world. As the rhino has a stomach that permits fermenting of food, they can eat more fibrous material when required. Their diet is described as herbivorous which means leafy greens for the most part. Oddly enough, although they have such a massive presence, the rhino brain is quite small for a mammal of its size. Rhinos are some of the largest remaining megafauna with all species known to weight one ton or more. The five species of rhinos that still exist on the planet include the White Rhinoceros, Black Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros. Adults, don’t generally have predators.ģ Species Critically Endangered – Javan, Sumatran & Black rhino.ġ Species Vulnerable – Greater One-Horned rhino Herbivores – Vegetation, fruit, grass, twigs, leavesĬrocodiles, big cats & hyenas can prey on baby rhino. Grasslands, floodplains, swamps, rainforestsĮast & southern Africa, India, Nepal, Malaysia & Indonesia. The word itself comes from the Greek rhinoceros, which translates to mean ‘nose-horned,’ rhinos (nose) and kerato/keras (horn). The name is often abbreviated to just Rhino. "Another female from our herd is also pregnant and due to give birth in July, so we have a lot to look forward to.The word Rhinoceros is used to describe any one of the five extant species and several extinct species of the members of the family Rhinocerotidae. "Sebastian is our third rhino calf born at Virginia Safari Park and the fourth to our company as a whole, so we are very happy to see our herd of rhinos continue to grow," said, Collections Manager, Sarah Friedel. Fully grown females like mother, "Samira", weigh roughly 3,000 to 4,000 pounds, while adult males like, "Leroy," weigh up to 5,000 pounds. Rhino calves are born weighing between 80- 140 pounds. He is full of energy and, although baby rhinos are born without horns, he can be seen playfully butting his mother. The baby, named “Sebastian” by staff, is gaining weight at a rate of around 10 pounds per day. “It is important for the long-term survival of the species, and for our conservation programs in general, to set up additional breeding groups to assist with this cause." "Many of the rhinos within the same original territory as the females here at Virginia Safari Park have since been poached for their horns.” said Eric Mogensen, Corporate Director and CEO of Virginia Safari Park. This leaves wild rhinos severely endangered and without continued conservation efforts, it is estimated the wild populations will be extinct in less than 20 years. Some cultures falsely believe rhino horns, which are made of keratin like our fingernails, can cure diseases. Despite their name, white rhinos are actually grey in color, with two horns on the bridge of their head. Virginia Safari Park imported four female white rhinos from South Africa to help protect rhinos from being poached in that country. Wild rhinos are facing the worst poaching streak in history, leaving less than 20,000 Southern white rhinos left in the wild. The father, “Leroy” is a 16 year-old male which came to the Park in 2013 from the Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates (CCTU), a breeding sanctuary in Florida. The healthy baby boy was born after a 16-month pregnancy to “Samira” a 9 year-old female imported by the Safari Park in 2011. The Virginia Safari Park, a ZAA accredited facility, welcomed its third baby Southern white rhinoceros on March 13th.
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