THE ANIMAL FILES

White rhinoceros

Ceratotherium simum

A wide mouth makes more sense than the colour in its name.

The white rhinoceros is a grass-eater with a broad, straight mouth. Its skin is greyish or brownish rather than white, and its two horns are made of keratin. Grazing, scent marking and social grouping reveal a more informative picture than the common name alone.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
White rhinoceros
Image: Payamfarahani · Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mouth
Broad and straight, suited to grazing[1]
Horn material
Keratin, without a bony core[1]
Feet
Three toes on each foot[1]

A grazing mouth

White rhinos live in grassland and savanna and favour short grasses. Their broad, straight lips fit that grazing habit. “Square-lipped rhinoceros” highlights this structure. The origin of “white” remains uncertain; the familiar claim that it was a mistranslation of “wide” is not established.[1]

Horns without a bone centre

Two horns stand one behind the other on the snout. Unlike cattle horns, they have no bony core; unlike deer antlers, they are not solid bone. Each foot has three toes supporting a heavy body. The ears can move independently, while smell is an important channel for investigating the surroundings.[1]

Dung as a territorial message

Adult bulls are commonly solitary, whereas females and younger animals can form groups. Territorial males mark with urine and dung in defined sites, as well as scraping the ground. These deposits make a location informative after the animal has moved on. Wallowing in mud is another familiar activity, helping the animals cool down.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Is a white rhino normally white?

No. Its skin ranges through greyish and brownish tones; the name does not describe a white coat.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

What makes a dung pile useful for communication between animals that are not together?

Reveal the explanation

It persists at a marked site, leaving scent information that another rhino can encounter after the depositor has gone.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Ceratotherium simum (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Ceratotherium simum (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

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