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White rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum)
Ceratotherium simum, the White rhinoceros .
Ceratotherium simum,
the white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros, is the largest extant
species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the
most social of all rhino species. Most are found in South Africa, with
smaller populations in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda and
Swaziland.
The name Rhinoceros means "horned nose," and is derived from rhino-,
"nose" and -keras, "horn". There are two extant species in Africa,
and three in southeast Asia. They are grouped in the order of
Perissodactyls, meaning "odd toed" ungulates. Extent genera include Ceratotherium (White rhinoceros), Diceros (Black rhinoceros), Dicerorhinus (Sumatran rhinoceros), and Rhinoceros
(Indian and Javan rhinoceros). Rhinocerotoids diverged from other
perissodactyls by the early Eocene (55-45 mya), when fossils of Hyrachyus eximus from North America show a small hornless ancestor which resembled a tapir or small horse.
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