Northern white rhinoceros facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern white rhinoceros |
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| Angalifu, a male northern white rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Angalifu died of natural causes at the age of 44 on 14 December 2014. | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Rhinocerotidae |
| Genus: | Ceratotherium |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
C. s. cottoni
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| Trinomial name | |
| Ceratotherium simum cottoni (Lydekker, 1908)
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| Extant and assisted colonisation (resident)
Extinct Possibly extinct |
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The northern white rhinoceros or northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is a type of rhinoceros. It is one of two subspecies of the white rhinoceros. These rhinos eat grass in open areas and savanna woodlands.
Sadly, the northern white rhino is almost gone. As of March 2018, there are only two known rhinos of this kind left. Both are females named Najin and Fatu. This means the subspecies is functionally extinct, which means it can no longer reproduce naturally because there are no males left.
These two female rhinos belong to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. But they live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where they are kept safe by armed guards. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) says this rhino is "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild)."
Contents
What is a Northern White Rhino?
Scientists have studied the northern white rhinoceros to understand if it's a separate species or just a subspecies of the white rhino. In 2010, some studies suggested it might be a different species. This was because it looked and had different genes from the southern white rhino. They thought the two groups had been separate for at least a million years.
However, not all scientists agreed. A study in 2016 looked at their mitochondrial DNA. It found that the two groups split between 460,000 and 970,000 years ago. Based on this, the study said it was better to call them a subspecies.
The Last Living Rhinos
Today, only two northern white rhinos are left in the world. Both are females living in Kenya.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
The two remaining northern white rhinos are:
- Najin: She is a female born in 1989. She is the mother of Fatu. Her father was Sudan.
- Fatu: She is also a female, born in 2000. Her mother is Najin.
These rhinos belong to the Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic. But they live in Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, Africa. They arrived there by plane and road on December 20, 2009. Two male northern white rhinos, Suni and Sudan, also came with them. Sadly, Suni died in 2014, and Sudan died in 2018. Sudan was the last male of his kind.
When they first arrived, the rhinos were watched closely by experts. They lived in special enclosures to get used to their new home. Ol Pejeta has armed guards protecting the rhinos 24 hours a day.
To keep them safe and prevent injuries, their horns were carefully sawn off. This also made them less likely to be hunted by poachers. Poachers illegally hunt rhinos for their horns, which can be sold for a lot of money. Small radio transmitters were put where their horns used to be. This helps the guards keep track of them.
In 2010, the male rhino Sudan moved to a much larger area. He lived among other African animals, including southern white rhino females. The two female northern white rhinos joined him in 2011.
Scientists tried to get Najin and Fatu to have babies naturally. Suni and Najin even mated in 2012. But female rhinos are pregnant for 16 to 18 months. By 2014, it was clear Najin was not pregnant. Later tests showed that neither Najin nor Fatu could have babies naturally.
Assisted Reproduction
Even though natural reproduction is not possible, scientists are still trying to save the northern white rhino. In 2015, experts from different zoos and research centers made a plan. They want to create northern white rhino embryos using special cells from the living rhinos. They also hope to use induced pluripotent stem cells in the future. These are special cells that can turn into any type of cell.
As of February 2024, scientists have created 30 northern white rhino embryos. These embryos are frozen in labs in Germany and Italy. The goal is to implant these embryos into female southern white rhinos. This would allow the southern white rhinos to act as surrogate mothers for northern white rhino babies.
Rhinos That Have Died Recently
The number of northern white rhinos has dropped a lot over the years.
Wild Population
The northern white rhino used to live in parts of Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their home might have even reached Lake Chad.
Sadly, poaching greatly reduced their numbers. In the 1970s and 1980s, their population went from about 500 to just 15 rhinos. By the early 2000s, their numbers slowly grew to over 32. But then, poaching increased again, and their wild population dropped even more.
The last known wild northern white rhinos lived in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2005, there were only four rhinos left there. Despite efforts to protect them, no northern white rhinos have been seen in the wild since 2006. This means they are now considered extinct in the wild.
Captive Population
At the start of 2015, there were only two northern white rhinos left in zoos. One was in the United States and one in the Czech Republic. However, both of these rhinos died later that year. Now, no zoos in the world have northern white rhinos.
Dvůr Králové Zoo
The Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic played a big role in trying to save these rhinos. In 1975, they got six northern white rhinos from Sudan. They later got two more from English zoos. This zoo is the only place where northern white rhinos have been born in captivity. The last calf was born in 2000.
Some important rhinos that lived at this zoo include:
- Nasima: A female born around 1965. She had four calves, making her the most successful mother in captivity.
- Saut: A male caught from the wild in 1975. He was the father of Suni and Fatu.
- Sudan: A male caught from the wild in 1975. He was the father of Najin and Nabire. He was the last known male of the subspecies and died in 2018.
- Suni: A male born at the zoo in 1980. He was moved to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009 and died in 2014.
- Nabire: A female born at the zoo in 1983. She died in 2015.
In 2009, Dvůr Králové Zoo sent Suni, Sudan, and the two females (Najin and Fatu) to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. This was a big effort to help them reproduce in a more natural environment.
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Diego, California, also had northern white rhinos. They had eight rhinos that were caught from the wild.
Some of the rhinos that lived there were:
- Angalifu: A male born around 1973. He died in 2014.
- Nola: A female born around 1975. She died in 2015.
After Nola died, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park no longer had any northern white rhinos. Scientists there are now working on ways to create northern white rhino embryos and put them into southern white rhino mothers.
Images for kids
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Angalifu, a male northern white rhinoceros at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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Timeline of known northern white rhinoceros in captivity
See also
In Spanish: Rinoceronte blanco del norte para niños
