WHITE RHINOCEROS
#RNO-500 Notecards
Also available in Notecard Assortment Packs #AST-512 & #AST-514
#LE-RNO-500 Limited Edition Print

Actually slate gray, the white rhinoceros gets its name from the Dutch word wijde, meaning “wide.” The description refers to the wide mouth that enables the rhino to eat enough short grass to maintain its 4,000-5,000 pound bulk. And if the grass is too short to graze, the white rhino will use its front horn to dig out roots. This horn normally grows to at least 3-1/2 feet; the longest known white rhino horn surpassed 6-1/2 feet in length.

Because of these fearsome horns, other animals steer clear of white rhinos. Ironically, these same horns threaten to lead to the demise of the species. In China, Korea and other Asian countries, powders made from rhino horn long have been a popular component of folk medicine. As a result, the animal has become an irresistible target for poachers, who can make more from a single rhino horn than they could earn in a year from a common laborer’s job.

Unfortunately, the notoriously nearsighted animal cannot distinguish a poacher from a tree standing 30 yards away. The white rhino compensates somewhat for its poor eyesight with a keen sense of smell and hearing. The behemoth also can go as fast as 25 miles per hour to escape or, more likely, attack its enemies. Nevertheless, fewer than 7,000 white rhinos remain in the wild, mostly in south Africa. White rhinos that escape poachers can live 40 to 60 years.

Once about 100 different species of rhinos roamed the earth. Today five remain: the white and black in Africa and the Indian, Javan and Sumatran in Asia. Unlike the Asian species, the two African species have two horns, one behind the other.

Text © 1998 Terry White, Drawing © 1998 Bill Harrah.

White Rhinoceros
#LE-RNO-500
Limited Edition Print
Issue Date: 06/2002
Edition Size: 500
Image: 6.5” x 8.25”
Paper: 8.5” x 11”
Mat: 11” x 14”
$35.
View matted print

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Drawings Copyright © 1992-2013 Bill Harrah, Wolf Run Studio (SM), All Rights Reserved. Wolf Run Studio is a service mark of Bill Harrah and has been in continuous use since 1992. All of the images on this website are in tangible form and are fully copyrighted. Each has an invisible digital identification which is traceable through the Digimarc Corporation. Viewers of the Wolf Run Studio website are allowed to browse and print out images for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not distribute copies of images or image files to anyone else for any reason. Images may not be reproduced or used in any form or any manner, or displayed on any website without the express written consent of Bill Harrah.

Text Copyright © 1992-2013 Terry White or Dianne Harrah. Text on this website is used with permission from the authors. Viewers of the Wolf Run Studio website are allowed to browse and print out text for personal, non-commercial use only. Text may not be reproduced or used in any form or any manner without the express written consent of the authors.

Information Accuracy
The information for the written description of each animal has been carefully researched by the authors and is believed to be accurate. New scientific observations, however, could make some information out-of-date. If you are a professional zoologist, and have new information that you are willing to share, please contact Dianne Harrah .