The rhino runs at 50 km/h.
Actually no. Rhinos do not run to escape from lions. Instead, they turn around, counterattack & fight back against their attackers.
Their main defense is retaliation.
Despite weighing 5,704lbs to 7,800lbs… rhinos have a superb turning reflexes. They can turn their bodies around in a quick sharp turn.
For any pride of lions, hunting a 7,800lb white rhino bull that’s in good condition is a suicidal gamble & plausibly a fight the big cats cannot win.
Rhinos frequently retaliate. They do not run from lions.
Even this pride male learns the hard way not to mess with a 7,800lb healthy white rhino bull.
Not to mention, their horns are made from keratin. The same protein in human fingernails.
As rhinos mature, the horn grows 4ft long & forms a sharp tip at the end.
They use their horn to stab, impale & gore their opponents.
They also have a 5 inch thick skin that covers 95% of their physical anatomy & it’s basically armor.
It’s a lot thicker than even an elephant’s hide.
A lion’s sharp carnassial teeth will struggle to tear through the 5 inch thick hide of a rhinoceros & this will also render the razor sharp claws useless.
Ultimately, they possess a very low center of gravity which offer excellent stability. It’s very hard for a pride of lions to force & steer a mature fit rhino to collapse.
These are some of the plausible reasons as to why rhinos are not the lion’s menu & for the most part, the big cats keep a distance or retreat
A lone lion hardly stands a chance against a rhinoceros.
Not even a pride has a decent chance.
https://latestsightings.com/single-post/massive-black-rhino-takes-on-unsuspecting-lion-pride
To say the least, lion prides can pull down full-grown hippos but not healthy adult mature rhinos.