 Reference Base  The mammals of the southern African subregion, new edition |
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| Location: |
Africa - Southern Africa - South Africa |
| Subject: |
Ecology - Habitat |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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South Africa. Player & Feely (1960) listed four basic habitat requirements:
- areas of short grass, for which they have a marked preference;
- stands of medium tall Panicum maximum which they find under trees (Emslie, pers. comm.);
- the availability of water for drinking and in which to wallow;
- adequate bush cover, and relatively flat terrain.
These requirements are met in the wooded grasslands, common in many parts of the Subregion, where they formerly occurred. This woodland carries the palatable grasses which form their principal food. Reintroduced to areas where these conditions prevail, the species is flourishing. The type of woodland is a secondary consideration, for its function is to provide shade from the sun during the hotter parts of the day. Steep slopes within the habitat are avoided, although they will traverse them freely to feeding grounds or to water.
Melton (1987) found that white rhinoceros showed a reduction in broad scale habitat selectivity during winter, changing from favouring the Acacia nigrescens open woodland in west Umfolozi in summer to using habitats at random during winter.
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