Warthog

“Warthogs are herbivores by choice, omnivores by necessity.”

A large member of the swine family, the warthog species is best known for its four sharp tusks and padded bumps, or warts, on its face. The females of the species are quite social and live out their lives in family groups called sounders. Though they may look vicious, these animals prefer to run from predators rather than fight and are not aggressive unless backed into a corner. Warthogs don’t have a special conservation status at this time, but humans have become a severe threat to these animals due to overhunting in certain areas.

Incredible Warthog facts!

• The thick bumps on a warthogs face help to protect the males when they fight during mating season.
• Warthogs don’t make their own homes. Instead, they move into abandoned aardvark dens.
• Female warthogs are social animals and live in groups called soundings, while the males are more territorial and prefer to live alone.
• Like other pigs, they don’t have sweat glands and must roll around in the mud to cool off.
• Females who lose their own babies will foster other nursing piglets.

Warthog Scientific name

The warthog is a mammal, which means it is warm-blooded and that its young are born alive and suckled by the females. The warthog’s scientific name, Phacochoerus africanus, comes from the Greek words “phakos,” which means “a mole or wart,” and khoiros, which means “a pig or hog.” As you can see, that translates directly to its common name, warthog. The last part, Africanus, refers to its location in Africa.

Warthog Appearance

Warthogs have big heads with padded bumps on each side and four sharp tusks. They are dark brown in color and mostly bald, but they do have a thick mane that runs from their head to the middle of their back. They also have tiny, tufted tails that stand straight up in the air when they run.

The average size is between 120 and 250 pounds and about 30 inches tall at the shoulder. The males of this species tend to be larger than the females.

Warthog Behavior

Because of the warthog’s size and appearance, many people think they are aggressive. On the contrary, they generally prefer to run away from predators rather than fight. Reaching speeds of up to 30 miles an hour, they are quite adept at outrunning danger. When fleeing danger, they will back into their dens with their massive tusks facing forward so they can defend themselves if necessary.

This species of the pig family likes to wallow in the mud like its domesticated cousins. They submerge themselves both to cool down and to avoid insects. Warthogs also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers to aid them with insect relief. These tiny birds ride on the animal’s back and eat the bugs that are bothering them.

Warthog Habitat

Warthogs are native to the sub-Saharan region of Africa. They prefer to live in cooler, open areas like savannahs, avoiding severe deserts, and rainforests. Though warthogs are excellent diggers, they don’t make their own dens. Instead, they move into abandoned aardvark dens.

Warthog Diet

Warthogs are omnivores that eat grass and tubers almost exclusively. They have thick, calloused pads on their forelegs that protect their limbs while they bend to graze. If food is scarce, they will scavenge carcasses or eat insects to fulfill their caloric needs, but they never hunt for their food. They can also live for a few months without any water during dry seasons.

Warthog Predators and Threats

The most common predators of the warthog are lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and crocodiles. Eagles can also pose a threat to babies. Since many of these animals are nocturnal hunters, these animals go out to forage during the day and return to the safety of their burrows at night.

Humans also threaten the warthog population due to overcrowding and overhunting. In areas where humans are the most common predators, these animals will adjust their schedules to forage at night and hunker down in their dens during the day.

Warthog Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

Males are known as boars, while female warthogs are known as sows. Both boars and sows have many mates throughout their lifetime. Unlike many other animals, the males rarely become aggressive during the mating season. Fights do occur from time to time, but these fights rarely ever cause significant injuries as they usually only strike with their heads and upper tusks.

Warthogs have the longest gestation period of any species of the pig family. Sows are pregnant for about 175 days and generally give birth during the dry season. Litters contain an average of three babies, called piglets. The piglets live exclusively in the den with their mothers for about six or seven weeks, and the females can live in the same sounding as their mothers for their entire lives.

On average, these animals can live for about 15 years in the wild and can live for up to 20 years in captivity.

Warthog Population

At this time, warthogs don’t have any special conservation status. Their numbers have begun to dwindle in some areas because there are no regulations on how many of these animals may be killed by one hunter. This lack of regulation has lead to overhunting. Warthogs are still thriving in wildlife reserves, but many zoos have had little to no success at breeding them in captivity.

Warthogs In the Zoo

You can see these animals in the zoo all over the world including the San Diego Zoo in California, USA, the Toronto Zoo in Ontario, Canada, and the London Zoo in London, England.

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