White rhinoceros map Ceratotherium simum Near threatened
Where the white rhinoceros lives: an interactive map of its subspecies and recorded sightings worldwide.
Approximate range, based on recorded sightings. Shapes are drawn by World Animal Map from 1,624 wild occurrence records on GBIF (CC0/CC BY 4.0; captive and fossil records excluded, isolated outliers removed), grouped into 1° grid cells and clipped to land. They show where the animal has been recorded, not an official range; gaps can simply mean no open data. Method · Records on GBIF
| Scientific name | Ceratotherium simum |
|---|---|
| Status | Near threatened (Wikidata, IUCN category label) |
| Mapped range layers | 3 |
| Records used | 1,624 wild occurrence records (GBIF, CC0/CC BY) |
| Group | Rhinos |
Population
“The southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 17,464 individuals in the wild as of the end of 2023.”
Source cited by Wikipedia: “On World Rhino Day 2024, a mixed story for the world's five species of rhinos”, IUCN. Quoted from Wikipedia: White rhinoceros.
Interesting facts
- The white rhinoceros is the largest of the five living species of rhinoceros. [source]
- Preferring the shortest grains, the white rhinoceros is one of the largest pure grazers. [source]
About the white rhinoceros
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 17,464 individuals in the wild as of the end of 2023, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies is critically endangered and on the brink of extinction; it has only two confirmed left as of 2018 (two females: Fatu, 24 and Najin, 29, both in captivity at Ol Pejeta). Sudan, the world's last known male northern white rhinoceros, died in Kenya in March 2018. White rhinoceros can run up to 40 mph (64 km/h) for very short bursts. They can maintain speeds of around 30–31 mph (48–50 km/h) for a good amount of time, and they have good stamina.
Subspecies (4)
Subspecies listed in Wikidata as children of Ceratotherium simum (fossil-only taxa excluded). Classification is debated for many animals and lists differ between authorities.
- Ceratotherium simum germanoafricanum
no open-licence GBIF records - Ceratotherium simum mauritanicum
no open-licence GBIF records
Photos
Text in “About”, “Interesting facts” and “Population” is quoted from the Wikipedia article White rhinoceros (revision 1379845975), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: sentences excerpted verbatim, citations and formatting removed. No text added. Taxa and status: Wikidata Q159918 (CC0).
More rhinos
Browse: all rhinos · all animal groups · all 33 animals