White rhino Kenya : The rhinoceros, also known as Rhino in short, is one of the species of the known Big five animals. There are five species in all, of which two are indigenous to Africa and the remaining three to South and Southeast Asia. The African continent is home to the Black and White rhinoceros species. The largest grazers in Africa, white rhinos devour an abundance of vegetation and play a significant role in forming the continent’s topography. This maintains the equilibrium in their ecology and benefits other animals. Because they are prominent tourist attractions and one of the “Big Five” mammals of Africa (together with elephants, lions, leopards, and buffaloes), rhinos encourage ecotourism.
Types of white Rhinos
The largest living species is this one. They go by the name “square-lipped rhinoceros” as well. It can graze with its large mouth. Southern white rhinoceroses and Northern white rhinoceroses are the two species of white rhinoceroses. An very high risk status has been assigned to northern white rhinos.
Southern white rhinoceros appearance
Found in Lake Nakuru National Park and Meru National park in Kenya, this is the rhino species that is most prevalent and extroverted. With females weighing up to 1,700 kg and males weighing up to 2,300 kg, this is one of the biggest and heaviest terrestrial Animals in the entire globe. The shoulder height is between 160 and 186 centimetres, while the body length measured from the head is between 3.4 and 4 metres. Seen when on kenya safari, the White Rhino features a huge head, a broad chest, and a short neck. It has two horns within its snout, the front horn being larger than the back. The front larger horn can grow up to 150 centimetres in length, with an average length of 60 cm. The horns of female Southern White Rhinos are longer and thinner than those of males, which have shorter horns.
The animal’s body might be slate grey or yellowish brown in hue. Because rhinos have little hair, which is mostly concentrated around the ears and tail, their bodies typically appear smooth and silky. They are recognised to be solely herbivores and have a big, flat mouth for grazing.
Every two to three years, female southern white rhinoceroses give birth. The calves weigh roughly 45 kg when they are born, and their pregnancy lasts 16 months. When the new born calf is about two and three years old, it gains independence and begins to graze. They can be found in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and five more countries in East and Southern Africa.
Because rhino horn was highly sought after in China for use in traditional medicine, poaching for rhino horn nearly caused the extinction of the southern white rhino. Currently, Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya’s Kigio Wildlife Conservancy, and Uganda’s Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary are home to them.
The Northern white rhinoceros
One of the two subspecies of white rhinoceros is this one; the other is the Southern White Rhinoceros. As of March 19, 2018, this species is all but extinct; Najin and Fatu are the only remaining subspecies. Both of them are female, and they are at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic is where the two female rhinos were introduced. Northern White Rhinos at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy are watched upon by armed rangers around-the-clock.
The two Northern White Rhinos that are still alive today call this place home. Both of them are female; the sole male survivor, Sudan, passed away in 2018. In 1989, a female named Najin was born into captivity. They currently reside with her child, Fatu, in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Sudan was her father, and Nasima was her mother. In 2000, Fatu its offspring was also born in captivity. Her father was saut, and her mother is the only Northern white rhino left, Najin.
The Black Rhinos
The native habitat of this type of black rhinoceros is Eastern and Southern Africa. The African nations of Kenya, Botswana, Angola, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are home to black rhinos. Although they are referred to as black rhinos, this species’ hues range from brown to grey. In addition to White rhinos, there is another kind of African rhino.
A mature black rhino measures three to three and a half metres in length and 140 to 180 cm high from the shoulder. A mature black rhino weighs between 800 and 1,400 kg. Compared to male rhinos, female rhinos are smaller. They have two horns on their muzzle that are composed of keratin. The largest horn on the front of the animal is between 50 and 140 centimetres long. The rhinoceros of Africa.
The longest black rhino horn ever measured was almost 1.5 metres long. A third, smaller horn may be present on some rhinos. The horns of rhinoceroses are used for intimidation, protection, root-digging, and breaking trees. This species of rhino is similar in size to the Javan rhino of Indonesia and smaller than the white rhino. When it is feeding, the black rhinoceros uses its pointed top lip to gather leaves and twigs. The Black Rhinoceros differs from the other species in that it is more of a browser than a grazer due to its smaller size, cranium, ears, and head position.
The thick skin of Black rhinoceroses is vital to the animals because it shields them from thorns and shiny grasses. With certain birds, such oxpeckers and egrets, who settle on their backs to feast on external parasites like mites and ticks, they have developed a symbiotic relationship. It is thought that black rhinoceroses relies more on their hearing and smelling skills than their eyesight. However, studies have shown that their vision is comparable to that of a rabbit. This animal possesses both an excellent sense of smell and superb hearing. The rhinos are recognised for their great aggression; they have been observed charging at any possible threat and stomping on termite mounds and tree trunks. Due to fighting-related injuries, over 50% of male and 30% of female black rhinoceroses die. The rhinoceros of Africa
Black rhinos can run up to 55 km per hour, demonstrating their exceptional speed. They can survive without water for up to five days in areas hit by droughts and eat shoots, prickly wood fruits, and leafy plants.
The female black rhino takes fifteen months to give birth to a 35–50 kg calf after mating, and the new born only stays with the mother for three days. Hyenas and lions may feed on the young, which reaches adulthood at the ages of five to seven for females and seven to eight for males.
They are found in most Kenyan National parks such as Maasai Mara National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park, Lewa Conservancy, Solio Game Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Tsavo East and West National parks, Amboseli National Park, Samburu National Reserve among others on Kenya safari tours.
