Ceratotherium simum (Burchell 1817)

[Rhinoceros] simus Burchell 1817, Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris: 97.

Type Locality: "L'interior de l'Afrique Méridionale vers le vingt-sixième degré de latitude"; since identified as South Africa, North West Prov., Chue Spring (= Heuningvlei), about 26°15'S, 23°10'E. See Grubb (1999).

Vernacular Names: White Rhinoceros.

Subspecies::

Subspecies Ceratotherium simum subsp. simum Burchell 1817

Subspecies Ceratotherium simum subsp. cottoni Lydekker 1908

Distribution: Formerly north of Equator in S Chad, Central African Republic, S Sudan, NE Dem. Rep. Congo, and Uganda. Southern Africa in SE Angola, Botswana, NE Namibia, S Mozambique, South Africa (north of Orange-Vaal Rivers and in KwaZulu-Natal), Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and possibly also SW Zambia. Now much restricted in distribution; in south of range, extinct except in E KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), but reintroduced into other parts of South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo Prov., Mpumalanga, Free State), Namibia, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana; introduced into Zambia and Kenya. In north of range, now confined to NE Dem. Rep. Congo.

Conservation: CITES – Appendix II as C. s. simum; otherwise Appendix I; U.S. ESA – Endangered as C. s. cottoni; IUCN – Critically Endangered as C. s. cottoni, Near Threatened as C. s. simum .

Discussion: Reviewed by Groves (1972 a, Mammalian Species, 8). Revised by Groves (1975 b).