The southern white rhinoceros or southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum) is one of the two subspecies of the white rhinoceros (the other being the much rarer northern white rhinoceros). It is the most common and widespread subspecies of rhinoceros.

It has an immense body and large head, a short neck, and a broad chest. It has two horns on its snout. The front horn is larger than the other horn and averages 60 cm in length and can reach 150 cm. The southern white rhinoceros also has a prominent muscular hump that supports its large head. The color of this animal can range from yellowish brown to slate grey. Most of its body hair is found on the ear fringes and tail bristles, with the rest distributed sparsely over the rest of the body. The southern white rhino has a distinctive flat, broad mouth that is used for grazing. Southern white rhinos are strictly herbivores (graminivores) that feed on short grasses.

The southern white rhinoceros is the world’s largest living species of rhinoceros. Restricted to southern Africa, it can attain a length of 4.2 m, a shoulder height of 1.85 m, and a weight of 3.6 tons.

A document published by CITES in 2021, found the estimated total population of Southern White Rhino in 2021 to be 15,940 individuals, a decline of 24% since the previous census published in 2015. South Africa remains a stronghold for this subspecies, conserving an estimated 12,968 individuals as of 2021, down 20.22% since the previous census.

According to Wikipedia