Despite the name, none of the rhinoceros species still living in the world today is actually white.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Dutch settlers in Africa encountered a huge animal with a broad, flat, square-shaped upper lip, perfectly adapted for grazing close to the ground. In Dutch, this feature was described as “wijd,” meaning “wide” or “broad.” When the British later arrived, they mistakenly understood “wijd” as “white”, as the two words sounded quite similar. And so, the name “white rhino” was born.
20/08/2026
