Phacochoerus - Wart Hogs

Scientific name	Phacochoerus africanus Phacochoerus aethiopicus
Global distribution	P. africanus – open country – Mauritania to Ethiopia and south to Namibia and eastern South Africa. P. aethiopicus – South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia and Somalia.
Habitat	Open country
Conservation status	Several subspecies have recently become extinct. However, both main species are widespread throughout their range.
Physical characteristics	Body size	Head and body length 900-1500 mm Shoulder height is 635 – 850 mm Weight is 50 -150 kg P. africanus is generally larger than P. aethiopicus
	Weight	50 to 150 kg
	Colouring	The body covered with bristles. Colour of the skin and hair is dark brown to redish. The long ridge like fold on the cheek bears white hairs.
	Hair	Long thin mane of coarse hair extends from the nape to the middle of the back, where it is broken up a bare space and then continues on the rump.
	Piglets	Redish brown
	Tail	250 – 500 mm. Tail hangs limply when the pig walks, but is held upright, with the tufted tip handing over, when the pig runs.
	Tusks	Upper tusk is 255-635 mm in males and 152-255 in females.
	Warts	Prominent only on the males, are skin growths and has no bony support or core. They are located on the side of the head and in front of the eye.
Phacochoerus aethiopicus
Female – side view			Neck and face	rear

Phacochoerus africanus
Female – side view			Face view					Rear
Red hair colouration by water hole					Carriage of the tail during running
Detail of face male					Detail of teeth. The lower tooth is actually the weapon of choice by the wart hog, the top tooth is blunt.
Detail of the mane
Anatomical points	Peculiarities			3^rd Molar composed on set of cylinders of dentine set in cement
				No upper incisors in P. aethiopicus
	Glands			Glands under the eyes
	Dental formulae			P. africanus: (i1/3, c1/1, pm 3/2, m 3/3) x 2 = 34 P. aethiopicus (i0/3-0, c1/1, pm 3/2, m 3/3) x 2 = 32-26
P. aethiopicus skull and detail of canines and premolar/molar teeth.
The skull is huge compared with others of the subfamily Suinae. Skull is triangular in dorsal outline, broad at the back and narrowing towards the front. The braincase is shortened, the zygomatic arch deepened. The ascending process of the mandible elongated and the maxilla considerable deepened to accommodate enlarged, very hypsodont molar teeth. The third molar are unlike other mammal teeth, they are composed of a number of closely set cylinders of dentine embedded in cement. The lower tusks do not wear down the tips of the upper tusks, which are long and curved. P. africanus always has two upper incisor teeth and usually six functional lower incisors. P. aethiopicus never has upper incisors and when lower incisors are present they are rudimentary and nonfunctional.
Behaviour points	Maturing age					Maturity reached at 18-20 months. Males mate at around 4 years of age.
	Mating ritual					Adult males are usually solitary and join the females for mating
						Males fight by highly ritualized battles, in which they push and strike with their heads and their blunt upper tusks. The warts on the side of their heads act as cushions and injuries are rare.
	Seasonal breeding					Clearly defined breeding seasons. Mating occurs 4-5 months after the breaking of the rains and births mainly in the dry season.
	Oestrus period					Females are polyoestrus, oestrus lasting about 72 hours at intervals of 6 weeks.
	Gestation period					150 – 175 days
	Birth weight					400 to 900 grams
	Litter size and lactation					1 to 8 piglets (usually 2-3).
	Weaning age					Piglets accompany their mother regularly at 50 days and are completely weaned by 21 weeks
						The young are temporarily driven away when the female is about to bear a new litter. The weaned piglets may rejoin the sounder.
						Males separate from their mother at 15 months. Females may stay in permanent association.
	Family groups
	Cooling behaviour					Wart Hogs enjoy mud baths
	Peak activity
	Maximum running speed					55 km/hr
	Visual capabilities					Its eyesight seems poor, but its sense of hearing and smell are acute.
	Population densities					0.2/sq km to 20.0/sq km. Home range varies from 64 to 374 ha.
						The population is divided into ‘clans’ each consisting of several sounders (or bands) and single individuals
						A sounder consists of 4 to 16 individuals with up to 40 reported.
	Marking sites					Saliva may be used as a marker. Secretions from glands around the eyes
Lying down
Note the pig sits on its front kneels, lowers its back end and then has all four feet under their body. They then lie down on the side.
Diet	Feeds on grass, roots, berries, the bark of young trees and occasionally carrion.
							When feeding Wart Hogs frequently will drop on their padded wrists and frequently shuffle along eating and looking for food.
Diseases/ disorders	Rinderpest can cause widespread deaths.
Age	A captive wart hog has lived to 18 years and 9 months