Ceratotherium nimum – Wikipedia

The Southern white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium pub Burchell, 1817 ) is one of the two subspecies of African white rhinoceros. This animal was at serious risk of extinction due to hunting. In 1880 25 or 30 specimens had been registered, in the protected area Blunt , in South Africa. The only skeleton complete with southern white rhinoceros in Italy is located in the Kosmos Museum of Pavia ^[2] . The timely adoption of protective measures favored its recovery. In the 1960s, during the so -called ” Rhinoceros operation ” , some excess specimens were captured and transferred to other African parks and reserves in order to repopulate them, others were sold to zoo and parks all over the world.

At 2007 the world population had about 17 460 individuals, a number that makes the southern white rhinoceros the subspecies of rhinos most numerous in the world. Most of the specimens live in South Africa (93.0%), for a total of 16 255 wild individuals, registered in 2007. In 2015 the Save the Rhino organization surveyed 19 682-21 077 specimens. ^[3]

In 1817 the English explorer William John Burchell assigned the scientific name of this nominal subspecies Ceratotherium pub . Other names such as Burchell’s rhino ( Ceratotherium powland Burchellii ), proposed by William John Burchell himself e OSWELL Rinister ( Ceratotherium named oswellii ) conferred to him by the explorer William Cotton Oswell. Today these names are considered synonyms of the original scientific name.

The Kiaboaba Ceratotherium (O Rhinoceros kiaboaba ), also known as Rhinoceros from the straight horns , who lives near Lake Ngami and north of the Kalahari desert, has been proposed as a variety. However, it was discovered that it is also a southern white rhino.

Following the concept of phylogenetic species, a recent research in 2010 suggested that the white rhinoceros of the south and northern can belong to different species, rather than underground of white rhinos. In this case, the correct scientific name for northern subspecies would be Ceratotherium powdered cottoni , while the southern subspecies should be Ceratotherium pub . The morphological and genetic differences suggest that the two species have lived separately for at least one million years. ^[4]

Southern white rhinoceros is one of the largest and heavier terrestrial animals in the world. It has a large body and a large head surmounted by two horns, short neck and large breast. The mouth is wide and flat and is used for pasture. The females weigh about 1,700 kg and 3,600 kg males. ^{[5] [6]} The length of the head and body is between 3.4 and 4.5 m and the height in the shoulder is on average 160–186 cm. ^{[6] [7]} The front horn is larger than the rear one and has an average length of 60 cm, which in some specimens can reach 150 cm. ^[8] Females usually have longer and thinner horns than males, which have bigger and short. Southern white rhinoceros also has a prominent muscle hump that has the function of supporting the big head. The color of this animal can vary from yellowish brown to slate gray. Most of the body hair is located in the ears and on the tail, while on the rest of the body they are scarce.

The southern white rhinoceros lives in the prairies and savannahs of southern Africa, from South Africa to Zambia. About 98.5% of southern white rhinos live in only five countries (South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Uganda). This specimen suffered threat of extinctionː At the beginning of the twentieth century the species was almost extinct, and had just under 20 individuals, concentrated in a single South African reserve. Fortunately, the population has slowly recovered over the years, growing up to 840 individuals in the 60s and reaching 1000 specimens in the 80s. The hunting of the white rhinoceros was legalized and regulated in 1968, and contributed to the resumption of the species, thanks to the incentives for landowners in order to increase the animal population. ^[9]

After the risk of extinction in the twentieth century, the species grew up in 2001, it is estimated that there were 11,670 wild white rhinos and 777 other captivity all over the world, which made it the most common rhinos in the world. At the end of 2007, the southern white rhinoceron grew up until it reached a population of 17,480 animals. In 2015, they counted between 19,682 and 21,077 white rhinos of the South Wild South. ^[3]

The Ceratotherium pub It has a square nose adapted for grazing. His big head is always low, he has a hump on his neck and two pointed ears. The two rhinos horns consist of horny fibers similar to hair that originate in the dermal papillae and are cemented together to form a single horn.

The males are sedentary and territorial. They are solitary, except in the season of loves, a period in which they reach the groups that form females with their offspring. In this period, the male remains with the female in 1 and 2 days. After a 16 -month gestation period, the little rhinoceros was born, which at the time of birth is able to maintain balance and follow the mother. He remains with his mother up to three years and for the female they must spend 4 years from the birth of a son to have his second child, which makes the birth rate relatively low.

The white rhinoceros is demanding in its habitat requirements. They need relatively flat soils, covered with shrubs and grass. They eat short grass, but when the dry season arrives and begin to be scarce, they consume herbaceous plants with longer stems, such as red oats. They also need permanent pools of water, to make mud baths every day with the aim of protecting themselves from heat and annoying insects. During the hours of more sun, they take refuge in the shade of the trees and develop their activity mainly at dawn and sunset. They can live 45 years and, after a 515 -day gestation period, the female gives birth to a small one.

Threats [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The South white rhinoceros is classified as “close to the threat”, a category that includes species close to the risk of extinction or that could become it in the near future. This animal is mostly threatened by the loss of habitats, the poaching and the illegal request of the rhinos horn for commercial purposes and for traditional Chinese medicine. ^[ten]

Introduction and reintroduction [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Small populations have been reintroduced in the historical habitats in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Zambia and Southern Congo, and a small population survives Mozambique. Other specimens were introduced outside the habitat in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, where their northern relatives were located. ^[11] The white rhinos of the South were reintroduced in the Sanctuary of the Ziwa rhinos in Uganda and in the Nakuru Lake National Park and in Kigio Willdlife Conservancy in Kenya.
In 2010, nine white rhinos of the South were imported from South Africa to the province of Yunnan from south-east of China, where they were kept in a park to promote acclimatization. Subsequently, in March 2013, seven of the animals were moved to the Laiyanghe National Forest Park, the habitat in which the Rhinetees of Sumatra and Java lived. ^[twelfth] On May 13, 2014 two of the white rhinos began the release process released. ^[13]

Captivity [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The southern white rhinoceros captured in nature reproduces in captivity if it has adequate quantities of space and food available, and other rhino acts of reproductive age. Many rhinos of the zoological gardens are part of a cooperative breeding program to increase the number of populations and maintain genetic diversity without taking individuals from nature. For example, in the Zoo Safari Park in San Diego 96 calves have been born since 1972. Despite everything, the reproduction rate among the females born in captivity is low, probably due to the diet. Research continues thanks to San Diego Global, which has as its objective to identify other captivity species that can follow this program and therefore develop new diets and feeding practices to improve the fertility of animals in captivity. ^[14] In South Africa a population of southern white rhinoceros is raised in farms and ranch for their horns together with black rhinos. ^[15]