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The warthog's unsightly appearance makes it one of the most unusual animals roaming the grasslands of Africa. When protecting its family, the warthog will ferociously defend against predators. |
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HABITS
The warthog lives in a family group called a sounder, consisting of a male and female and one or more successive litters. Its prefered habitat is the open plains and grasslands of Africa, especially where there is a good water source in which it can wallow and drink. It has also been found in the arid Sahel region, bordering the Sahara Desert.
BREEDING |
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During breeding season, the male warthog follows the female wherever she goes, often circling her until she is ready to mate. Throughout this courtship ritual, the male makes a noise that sounds like a clattering motor. When the female becomes pregnant, she leaves the family group and finds a den where no other warthogs are living. She gives birth to a litter of two to four young.
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The young are grayish pink in color. They are very sensitive to the cold, so to keep warm, they stay huddled together in the den for the first few days. The mother leaves the den for most of the day, returning periodically to feed the young. After a week, the young venture out of the den for short periods, until they eventually return only at night.
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FOOD & HUNTING
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The warthog grazes mainly on short grasses and herbs. Because of its short neck, it must get down on its knees to feed. The warthog's eyes are set very high and far back on its forehead, so that it can watch for predators while feeding. It also feeds on leaves and fruit and, in some areas, on bulbs and tubers. Although the warthog is usually silent, it grunts when feeding.
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| WARTHOG & PREDATORS
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The warthog makes its den either under a rock or in a sheltered burrow, but, more often, it will sleep and breed in abandoned aardvark dens. When the family enters the underground den, the young climb down head first. An adult is always last to enter, and slides in backwards, facing the entrance with its tusks should any predator try to attack. The warthog is renowned for its courage and ferocity in defending its family. The combination of speed (it can run at speed up to 30 miles per hour) and two sets of tusks to fend off most predators. Although it has poor eyesight, it has a good sense of smell and acute hearing. The warthog's only real threat comes from lions and leopards. Adult males, or boars, occasionally fight among themselves, putting on a good show of bravado. With manes bristling, and heads lowered, the boars will push and shove, trying to unbalance their opponent. They can inflict severe wounds with their tusks.
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Length: Body, 46-60 in. Tail, 18 in. |
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Weight: 130-265 lb. |
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Breeding
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Sexual maturity: 18 months. |
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Gestation: 171-175 days.
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Litter Size: 3-4, but up to 7 have been recorded.
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Lifestyle
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Habit: Live in family groups called sounders. Will use abandoned
aardvark dens or sometimes hollows under rocks.
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| Diet: Mainly grasses and herbs, but also tubers and bulbs.
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| Lifespan: 12 years in captivity.
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Related species
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The warthog is the only species of its kind, but it is related to the giant
forest hog and the bush pig.
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DID YOU KNOW?
- Warthogs wallow in mud to keep cool. They do not have sweat glands.
- The warthog has a long, tasseled tail which is kept erect when it runs.
- Although it is usually active only during the day, it will occasionally feed on moonlit nights.
- The adult warthog is gray or black, but it may appear red or yellow due to a layer of mud clinging to it.
- A warthog will attack humans if threatened. In 1965, a zookeeper at Duisburg Zoo in West Germany was killed by a warthog thought to be tame.
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