The white rhinoceros, also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros, is a species of rhino. It is one of the two African species, the other being the black rhinoceros. Although white is in the name, its general skin coloration can vary from brown to grey. Instead, the color themed name is thought to have derived from a mistranslation of the Afrikaans word "wyd", meaning "wide".

Like its other common name implies, it is distinguished by its squared or flattened upper lip, where its black relative has a pointed or hook shaped upper lip. They graze upon grasses on the ground, and therefore never needed to utilize specialized lip functions to feed like their relatives, who graze from trees and shrubs.

See also

• mammal
• rhinocerotoid
• rhinocerotid
• white_rhinoceros