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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
warthog |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Suidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Phacochoerus
(mole or wart, hog) aethiopicus, Phacochoerus
africanus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Pig-like
animal, black or brown in color, with coarse but
sparse hair covering body. Its face is long with
fleshy warts and protruding tusks. |
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| SIZE: |
0.9-1.5
m (2.9-4.9 ft.) in length; 63.5-85.0 cm (2.1-2.8
ft.) tall at shoulder |
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| WEIGHT: |
50-150
kg (110-330 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Grasses,
roots, berries, bark, and occasionally carrion |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
18-20
months |
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| RANGE: |
Occurs
in Central Africa and to the south, from the West
Coast to the East Coast |
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| HABITAT: |
Usually
found in savannah and lightly forested areas |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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|
| 1. |
Warthogs
travel in groups called sounders consisting of
1 or 2 sows and young offspring. Males usually
travel alone.
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| 2. |
Boars
have more prominent warts than sows. They are primarily
used to protect the face during fights. |
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| 3. |
Warthogs
use burrows for shelter and when entering, the hogs
back in. This enables them to defend themselves.
In the mornings, warthogs burst out of their burrows
at top speed to get a running start on any predators
that may be lurking nearby. |
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| 4. |
Although
they look fierce, warthogs would rather run than
fight. But they can be fierce opponents if forced. |
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| Warthogs
allow birds, such as the yellow hornbills, to eat
parasites that live on their bodies. This symbiotic
relationship allows the birds to have a constant
food source and the hogs to rid themselves of pests.
These rooting animals are beneficial to the land
by churning up the soil and allowing it to be aerated,
which aids plant growth. |
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|
|
Estes,
Richard D. The Safari Companion. Post Mills,
Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 1993.
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| Harbrecht,
Doug. "Beauty or Beast?" International
Wildlife. July - Aug. 1992, pp. 30-36 |
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| Nowak,
Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World.
Vol. 2. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press,
1991. |
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| Parker,
Sybil P. (ed.). Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. 5. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1989. |
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