In 2003, Kees Rookmaaker, a rhino researcher, analyzed 10 theories about the names.

A popular idea was that the Afrikaans word “wyd,” or Dutch “wijd,” meaning “wide,” became “white.” “Black” was simply an easy contrast.

Some other theories: The grazing rhino looked white in grasslands; it rolled in lighter mud or was often covered in bird droppings; albinism is more common among white rhinos; and that at some point, the rhinos were noticeably lighter and darker.

The mistranslation theory was the one he found least likely. “There is no record of ‘wydrhinoceros’ in the literature,” he emailed recently, noting that Dutch speakers would have used “breed,” meaning “broad,” rather than “wijd.”

Speaking of eye-catching fauna, a new species of tarantula has become a scientific celebrity. But the discovery has renewed an old ethical debate about specimen collection and “biopiracy.” That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris

Thank you

To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Inyoung Kang, a home screen editor based in London, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the persistent racial divide in New York City’s public school system.

• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Seafood specialty of Maryland (5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

• The Times’s Sports section is adding two staff members: David Chen, from our Metro section, as an investigative reporter, and Sopan Deb, from our Culture section, to cover the N.B.A.