Kruger National Park Game
Information
Difference between Black
and White Rhino by David Meisel
Black Rhino (Hooked-lip
Rhino)
-
Smaller than the white rhino.
A large bull weighs around 1000 kg.
-
They have a rather small hooked
shaped mouth for feeding on trees and shrubs.
-
The black rhinos' natural head
posture is face upward, so there is no need for it to lift its' head when
feeding off trees.
-
Black rhino are often found
in thick vegetation which is possibly the reason why the female will often
run in front of her calf to clear a pathway.
-
The black rhino is short tempered
and extremely aggressive compared to the white rhino.
-
They are very solitary and seldom
join up with other individuals.
|
Buy
at AllPosters.com
|
Buy
at AllPosters.com
|
White
Rhino (Broad-mouthed Rhino)
-
Larger than black rhino. Large
bulls reaching weights of 2500 kg.
-
They have a very broad flat
mouth which aids in feeding off large quantities of grass.
-
A white rhinos' natural head
posture faces downward so its' mouth is always close to the ground while
grazing.
-
They have a very distinct hump
above the shoulders as well as a very prominent fold of skin at the lower
parts of the shoulders.
-
Being a very social animals
it is not uncommon to see 10 or 15 white rhinos moving together and sometime
more.
-
White rhino are normally found
in very open areas such as plains.
-
The calf normally runs in front
of its mother, with the mother using her horn to direct the calf by tapping
it on the rear.
|
There is no colour difference
between the two rhinos. The Dutch people named the white rhino the "Weid
mond rhino", meaning “Wide-mouth rhino”. The English thought they were
saying "white", so it was all just a misinterpretation of the name.
Even though the white rhino
is less aggressive, there are still more incidents of them attacking people
as they have a higher population and thus regular encounters with people.
Return
to Kruger National Park - Details / top
About the Author - I am an
ex-game ranger from South Africa. I have 2 awesome blogs packed with information
on all sorts of wildlife in Africa. I also talk about encounters with dangerous
game while doing bush walks. Visit my Blogs to find out more: www.safari-stories.blogspot.com
and www.southafrican-wildlife.blogspot.com |
