The white rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum, is one of the two African species of rhinoceros which itself has two sub-species, the northern white rhinoceros (DRC and Central Africa) and the southern white rhinoceros (South Africa).
Profile
Near Threatened (NT)
Distinctive features
The white rhinoceros differs from the black rhinoceros in that it has big pointed ears, a wide muzzle, square lips and a characteristic shoulder hump.
They have an impressive set of muscles which enables them to run very quickly if necessary, as fast as 50 km/h in some cases.
Anecdote
Although its skin is undoubtedly paler than that of the black rhinoceros, its description as "white" comes from a mistranslation of its name afrikaans widje (wide), which describes the shape of its top lip, not its colour.