Indianapolis Zoo Announces the Birth of Their Very First White Rhino Calf
Indianapolis Zoo shared some very exciting baby news on Tuesday, February 20th - the birth of their first white rhino calf! The baby girl was born on Super Bowl Sunday to mama Zenzele, and she's absolutely adorable!
The zoo shared that mama and baby are both doing fine and are spending all of their time indoors right now. They'll introduce the baby and mom back to the herd later in the spring. In the meantime, the baby (no name announced yet) is spending her time doing zoomies, and it's the cutest thing you'll see all day!
Isn't she adorable?! I could watch her all day! I'm sure she'd rather be out in a bigger area to run around on, and I can't wait to see her do even bigger zoomies in the next few months when she gets to join the herd. @Indianapolis Zoo fans were just as smitten with all the cuteness as I was. Everybody commented about how cute she was and offered lots of congratulations. @Peggy Durant had my favorite comment, "Baby manatee in Florida, baby elephant at Disney, now a baby rhino!!!!"
Related: Virginia Zoo Welcomes Rare White Rhino Baby
Differences Between Black and White Rhinos
I wondered how white rhinos are different than black rhinos. Although they are called white rhinos, both black and white rhinos are the same color, a brownish gray. The main difference between the two rhinos is that white rhinos have a squared upper lip, which is different from the black rhino's hooked upper lip. White rhinos are often referred to as 'square lipped' rhinos. I didn't realize how different the two really look until I Googled a picture to them side-by-side!
White rhinos have a longer head, as well as a less defined forehead, but their lips are so different because they both eat differently. While white rhinos graze from the ground, black rhinos browse, and their hooked lips help them grab leaves from trees and bushes.
White rhinos are the second-largest land mammal, only smaller than an elephant. Adult males can weigh 8,000 pounds and reach 6 feet tall! Some say that the white rhino got its name from the Afrikaans word "weit", which means wide in reference to their mouths, not the color white.
White rhino babies are rare for a couple of reasons. First, there aren't many white rhinos left in the world. They've been poached to near extinction for their horns, which are sought after in many Asian countries for medicinal use and as a symbol of wealth. The other reason is because females only have one calf every two and a half to five years. While we don't know this baby's name yet, she's definitely a rarity and is already very loved by the people who care for her at the zoo!
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