It’s true that rhinos are endangered animals and that there are many organizations working hard to protect them from extinction, but what many people don’t realize is that there are actually two different species of rhinos—the black rhino and the white rhino. The interesting thing about the black and white rhinos is that their names have nothing to do with their skin color. They’re both technically steely gray. Some speculate that the name “white” was derived from a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word “weird” to describe the wide lip that distinguishes white rhinos from black rhinos, which have hook-shaped lips.
The shape of their lips is the simplest and most common way to tell the two rhino species apart, but there are other differences. In this article, we’ll look at the key differences between the two species.
1. White vs Black Rhino – Appearance.
The most striking similarity between these two rhino species is their physical appearance. They do, however, differ significantly in size. Black rhinos typically weigh between 900 and 1,350 kilograms, while white rhinos weigh nearly twice as much at 1,800 to 2,500 kilograms. They are the second-largest land mammal after the elephant.
Apart from their weight, these two rhino species can be differentiated based on the shape of their mouth and lips. Black rhinos have hooked lips, while white rhinos have square lips. Hooked lips enable black rhinos to browse rather than graze, as they assist them in grabbing leaves from trees. Square-lips on the other hand facilitate white rhinos to graze on grass and walk with their heads close to the ground.
Additionally, these two rhino species can also be differentiated based on the shape and size of their ears. Black rhinos have smaller and rounder ears while white rhinos have pointed narrow ears. The reason for this is that white rhinos have poor eyesight and their ears compensate for their vision.
2. White vs Black Rhino – Behavior.
White rhinos are more sociable than black rhinos. They prefer to live in herds of seven or more individuals. Black rhinos on the other hand prefer a solitary lifestyle despite the fact that they have been occasionally seen in groups of up to five, which is very unusual. Furthermore, black rhino calves prefer to follow their mothers from behind, whereas white rhino calves walk in front of them.
3. Black vs White Rhino – Diet.
As previously stated, black rhinos have hooked lips, whereas white rhinos have square-lipped lips. This is due to their different eating habits. Black rhinos browse rather than graze, their hooked lip assists them in grabbing leaves from trees. White rhinos, on the other hand, graze on grass and walk with their square-lipped heads close to the ground.
4. White vs Black Rhino – Habitat.
Both of these two species share the same habitat; however, white rhinos prefer grasslands and fields, while black rhinos prefer dense thick vegetation. Obviously, this is due to their food preferences.
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