The gentle giant weighing 2.5tons

The white rhino is the second largest land mammal in the world, after the elephant

The animals can weigh up to 2.5 tons and reach 6 feet high

Despite its size and bulk, it can run at top speeds of up to 30mph

White rhinos are calmer and more sociable than other species

There were once more than 30 species of rhino, including woolly ones in prehistoric times

The white rhino’s name derives from the Afrikaans word for ‘wide’ and has nothing to do with the colour of its hide

The animals communicate using a wide variety of sounds, including grunts, growls, snorts, squeaks and bellows

White rhinos cannot swim because their hump gets in the way

The species has the widest set of nostrils of any land animal