I chose to research the white rhino species because it is the most populous rhino species, meaning I would have access to more information. There wasn't much choice because the African savannah has only two species of rhino: the white rhino and the black rhino. These species share many similar traits and differ in small characteristics, but I chose one over the other due to the notable difference between their populations. Statistics say that there are around 10,000 white rhinos, while there are only 7 black rhinos in the world. Information about white rhinos is more accessible because the government is less interested in protecting them while having more problems with how to preserve another species, close to extinction. Before the research, I didn't know anything specific about white rhinos, however, I knew that the rhino is a rather large animal with a bad temper. The scientific name of the white rhino is Ceratotherium simum. It is attributed to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata, the class Mammalia, the order Perissodactyla and the family Rhinocerotidae (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species). The name of the species comes from the Afrikaner word “weit”, which means wide. While the rhino began to become a species in its own right 7 million years ago (Rhino World), the white rhino didn't become part of the African savanna until 3,000 years ago. Some time later, influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors, it developed two subspecies: the northern white rhino and the southern white rhino. The scientific name of the northern subspecies is Ceratotherium simum cottoni and the scientific name of the southern subspecies is Ceratotherium simum simum. The only difference between them is that one lives in the north of the continent, while the other lives in the......middle of paper......ofed/Southern-white-rhinoceros.htm>."White Rhinoceros ." Rhino Worlds. Infoqis Publishing, Co., nd Web. 02 December 2013. Emslie, R. “Ceratotherium Simum.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2012. Web. 02 December 2013. .Lucero, Louis. “Experts say poaching could soon lead to a decline in the rhino population.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, November 22, 2013. Web. December 2, 2013. .Nicks, Denver. “Western black rhino declared extinct.” Science of time and space. Time, 6 November 2013. Web. 02 December. 2013. .