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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. The warthog gets it name from four gristly warts that protrude from the sides of its face. It is not known for certain what purpose the warts serve. One explanation is that they are used as a weapon, or, alternatively, as a defense in fending off blow from other warthogs.
Habits: The Warthog lives in a family group called a sounder, consisting of male and female and one or more successive litters.. Its preferred 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 Desert, bordering the Sahara Dessert. 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 predators try to attack.
The warthog is renowned for its courage and ferocity in defending it s family. The combination of speed ( It can tun at speeds up to 30 miles per hour) and two sets of tusks is enough to fend off almost predators. Although it has poor eyesight, it has a good sense of smell and acute hearing. The warthog's only real threat comes from the 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.
Breeding: During breeding season, the male wart follows the feel 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.
The young are grayish pink in color. They are very sensitive to the cold, so to keep them 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 to the den for short periods, until they eventually return only at night.
Food & Hunting: The warthog grazes mainly on short grasses of its herbs. Because of its short neck, it must get down on its knees to feed (se back page). The warthog's eyes are set very high and far back on its forehead, so that it can watch for predators wile 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..
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Length: Body, 46 - 60 in, tail, 18
in
Height: 30 in to shoulder
Weight: 130 - 265 lbs
Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 18 months
Gestation: 171 to 175 days
Litter Size: 3 - 4 , but up to 7 have
been recorded
Lifestyle:
Habit: Live in family groups called sounders.
Will use abandoned aardvark dens or sometimes hollows under rocks.
Diet: Mainly grasses and herbs but also
tubes and bulbs.
Life span: 12 years in captivity
Related Species: The warthog is the
only species of its kind, but it is related to the giant forest hog and
the bush hog.
Distribution: The warthog has wide distribution
over the open grasslands of central, eastern Africa south of the Sahara,
and also in the very dry Sahel region.
Conservation: The warthog is not thought
to be in danger of extinction, although many tribesmen hunt it for sport
and meat.
Features of the Warthog:
Knee pads: The warthog is very unusual
in that it has to get down on its knees to feed. THis is due to short
neck and relativity long legs. Because of this. Its short neck
and relatively long legs. because of this, it has developed special
horny kin pads to protect its knees.
Warts: The warthog has two warts
on each side of its face. They are most p-rominent not eh male and
can be a means of distinguishing it from the female.
Tusks: The curled upper pair of
tusks, 12 in or more in length, are tipped with enamel which soon wears
away. The much shorter and sharper lower tusks are entirely coated
with enamel.
Did you know:
Warthogs wallow in mud to keep cool. They
do not have sweat glands.
The warthogs has a long, tasseled tail which
is keep's 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, a zoo keeper at
Duisburg Zoo in West Germany was killed by a warthog thought to be tame.
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