White Rhinoceros
Ceratotherium simum
🦏
Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Rhinoceratoidea
Rhinocerotidae
Ceratotherium simum
The Great Grazer of Africa — Ceratotherium simum, the White Rhinoceros, is the largest living species of rhinoceros and one of the largest land mammals on Earth. Known for its broad, square mouth and social nature, this species thrives on open grasslands and savannas.
Description
White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) — The White Rhino is a massive grazer native to southern and central Africa. It has two distinct subspecies: the Southern White Rhino (C. s. simum), which survives today, and the Northern White Rhino (C. s. cottoni), now functionally extinct in the wild. Adults measure 3.7–4.2 meters in length, stand 1.7–1.9 meters at the shoulder, and can weigh up to 2,300–2,500 kg. It is distinguished by its flat, wide mouth adapted for grazing and a large anterior horn that can exceed 1.2 meters in length. Despite its name, the “white” rhino is actually grayish in color—the name derives from the Dutch word wijde (wide), referring to its mouth shape.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
2900
1.8
2.7
4.2
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Herbivores – Browsers
Hunt History
Prehistoric human groups in Africa occasionally hunted Ceratotherium simum for its meat and hide, though its massive size and aggressive defense made it a dangerous target. Evidence suggests opportunistic hunting or scavenging rather than organized pursuit. In later millennia, poaching for horns became the main threat, driving the species to near extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Makapansgat (South Africa, ~1.8 million years ago): Early Homo species likely scavenged or hunted rhinos, with cut-marked bones found in association with stone tools.
Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania, ~1.2 million years ago): Rhino bones with evidence of butchering by early humans.
Kapthurin Formation (Kenya, ~700,000 years ago): Stone tool marks on rhinoceros bones indicate systematic processing of carcasses.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Extant
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
0
BP
Late Pleistocene
Africa
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
6
Est. Renderable Fat
174
kg
Targeted Organs
Hump/back & visceral fat
Adipose Depots
Subcutaneous back/shoulder, visceral; marrow
Preferred Cuts
Dorsal hump fat & marrow
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
5