Rhino in game reserve holds up the traffic

I zoomed in on the rhino's lips; they're square which makes this a white rhino 

There are two kinds of rhinoceros in Africa – the black rhino and the white rhino. There are approximately 4800 black rhino and 20 000 white rhino surviving in the wild.

Facts about White Rhinos

• The white rhino has a wide mouth. The name of the white rhino is sometimes said to be a corruption of the Dutch word “wijd” but nobody really knows where the names come from.
• The white rhino grows to 1.8m and weighs over two tons. It is second only to the African elephant in the size of land mammals.
• It is a grazer and lives in social groups.
• They mainly eat grass and are the most abundant rhino species.
• They have two horns.
• The story of the southern white rhino is one of the great conservation success stories of the 20^th century. A hundred years ago they had been hunted almost to extinction. A small surviving population of about 50 was protected in Imfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. That population grew and the then Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) began to translocate animals to other areas where they could breed to form new populations. They are no longer considered critically endangered, although are still regarded as vulnerable.

We'd rounded a corner in the park when this large rhino walked from left to right across the road. Although a smaller vehicle had passed us and wended its way past the stationary rhino, Grant stopped our vehicle so that we could get a good look and of course, good photos! (Apart from that, can you imaging trying to "move" this rhino?)

I can just hear this rhino say: "Make me!" 

On my first post about Isimangoliso Wetland Park, part of which we visited on our holiday in South Africa, I posted our first rhino sighting as we entered the park. Later my sister-in-law, Shelley told me we'd seen a BLACK rhino which is a rare sighting indeed. 

• Black rhino (which are actually grey) are browsers, using their pointed upper lips like a miniature elephant trunk to twist off low-growing branches of trees and shrubs.
• They are sometimes said to be bad-tempered, but are actually just shy and inquisitive. They will run towards anything unusual in their surroundings, but usually run away if they smell humans. Even so, if a black rhino is encountered in the wild, you should climb the nearest tree or stand very still. Some individual rhinos are very nervous and a female with a calf will charge anything she considers a potential threat.
• Rhinos have poor eyesight but a good sense of smell and hearing.
• Black rhino grow to 1.6m tall, weigh up to 1 400kg and have two horns.
• Black rhino are the fastest kind of rhino with a top speed of 55km/ hour.
• They eat woody trees, shrubs and herbs.   
• 
  The black rhino which I posted about a week ago on this meme

How to distinguish between black and white rhino in the wild

Black rhino are more likely to be solitary and are shyer, keeping to thicker bushy areas. White rhino tend to be in groups. Black rhino have short necks and hooked lips which make browsing branches easier. White rhino have long necks and wide mouths for eating grass.

 

I'm linking my post to Saturday Critters hosted by Eileen. 

 

I hope you're all having a great Saturday.