An adult white rhino can weigh over 2,000 kilograms - as much as a small car. Despite their size, they can run surprisingly fast for short distances, up to about 50 km/h. Their feet make a heavy thudding sound that you can hear before you see them.
White rhinos aren't actually white - they are grey, just like other rhinos. The name probably came from an old Afrikaans word for 'wide' (wyd), which described their wide, square mouth. English speakers heard it as 'white', and the name stuck. Their wide mouth is perfect for cropping short grass, like a giant lawnmower.
Each rhino has two horns made of the same stuff as your fingernails - keratin. The front horn is longer than the back one and can grow over a metre long. The horns keep growing throughout a rhino's life, like your nails do.
South Africa has done amazing work to protect rhinos. About 100 years ago, white rhinos were so rare that there were only a few dozen left in the world. Thanks to careful protection by rangers and scientists, the population is now in the thousands. Rhinos are still protected with great care today.

