The Southern White Rhinoceros is one of the most recognizable and unique animals on the African continent. These massive creatures use their horns for protection against predators, to defend their territory, and to dig wallows. Their horns are made of keratin, the same protein that makes up human hair and fingernails, and they grow from the skin in a similar way. Southern white rhinos have two horns, with the front horn reaching lengths of up to six feet.

Southern white rhinos are one of five species of rhinoceros, and they are sometimes called square-lipped rhinos due to their wide, flat mouths, which they use like lawnmowers to graze on grass. A closely related subspecies, the northern white rhino, is tragically near extinction. Only two northern white rhinos remain today, both female, making the species functionally extinct with no known males to carry on the lineage.

Female white rhinos typically live in groups called "crashes" of up to six individuals, though larger groups may form when food and water are plentiful. Male white rhinos are solitary but have territories that overlap with females. Though they have poor vision, their excellent hearing and sense of smell help them communicate through communal dung heaps, called middens, which mark territory and signal when a female is ready to breed. After a 16-month gestation, calves stay with their mothers for about three years. Despite their size, rhinos are surprisingly agile, reaching speeds of 30 mph.