Warthogs, as one might guess from the name, are members of the Swine family and are related to pigs, boars and hogs. The animal’s wrist joints are padded, allowing it to lower itself close to the ground to graze comfortably. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali warthog (P. a. delamerei). Common Warthog Predators. It occurs in a number of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and it faces no significant threats although it may locally be hunted for bushmeat. Warthogs can inflict severe wounds on lions, sometimes ending with the lions bleeding to death. In times when sustenance is limited, they will be seen eating odd foods like rhizomes, bulbs, and tubers with their elongated tusks. The subspecies P. a. aethiopicus, commonly known as the Cape warthog, used to occur in the southeastern parts of Cape Province and the adjacent parts of Natal Province but became extinct around 1871. The groups do not interact to any great extent. The desert warthog has specific warning grunts that alert the rest of the group to danger. https://animals.fandom.com/wiki/Desert_Warthog?oldid=68140. Common warthogs have two upper and four to six lower incisors, according to ADW, while desert warthogs lack incisors. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Female warthogs have up to eight young at a time, though they usually only have two or three, after a gestation period of around six months. You will receive a verification email shortly. The common warthog is an efficient digger, using its snout, tusks and feet to expose roots and tubers. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. Like their relatives, warthogs are plump, hooved animals with large nostrils at the end of the snout. Warthogs live 12 to 18 years. They use their super-powered snout to sniff out food and detect predators. the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, The Humane Society of the United States: Pigs, Cuttlefish show self-control, pass 'marshmallow test', Lab-grown black hole analog behaves just like Stephen Hawking said it would, Renaissance-era letter sealed for centuries just virtually unfolded and read for the first time, Photos of Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie and others come alive (creepily), thanks to AI, The Gulf Stream is slowing to a 'tipping point' and could disappear, Meet the swirlon, a new kind of matter that bends the laws of physics. The main warthog predators are humans, lions, leopards, crocodiles, and hyenas. Sniffing out Predators – While they do not have exemplary eyesight, these pigs make up for it with their sense of smell. References Alina Bradford - Live Science Contributor The Common is widely distributed across Central and most of Southern Africa. Each mission will be different with STRIKE missions etc... Allied forces will support you … Actually, warthogs are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation, according to ADW. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. And then there’s the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), that has two subspecies – one of which went extinct in the 1870s. (450 to 900 grams) at birth. No need to register, buy now! Badger Bobcat Coyote Kit Fox Mountain Lion Ringtail Cat. During the late nineteenth century, P. aethiopicus became extinct in South Africa. The warthogs dig a number of burrows, or take over holes excavated by other animals, and move from one to another. Often, they live alone. They are weaned at three or more months but remain dependent on their mother for several more months after that. In general, warthogs forage during daybreak and the twilight hours. Females groom each other and huddle together at night for warmth. The animals eat grass, fruits, flowers and leafy vegetation. were in existence thousands of years ago. A sounder occupies a home range of about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) which is usually centred on a water hole. The bumps on a warthog's face are not warts; they are thick patches of skin that provide protection during fights. A warthog piglet will generally mature by the age of a year and a half. Desert warthogs live in social groups called "sounders" consisting mostly of females and their offspring while males tend to live in solitude or form bachelor groups. Reptilian Predators Snakes and Lizards Mojave Rattlesnake Black-collared Lizard Mountain Kingsnake. They don't fight for the holes, though. These patches act as padding for when males fight during mating season. They dig up rhizomes, edible tubers and bulbs with their snouts and tusks and will eat insects when food is scarce, and even carrion. Piglets are weaned around 4 months old and become mature at 20 months. Cheetahs are also capable of catching small warthogs. were in existence thousands of years ago. The ancestors of the present day common warthog (P. africanus) had a different number of incisors than the ancestral desert warthog (P. aethiopicus) line. Piglets weigh around 1 to 2 lbs. They may freeze initially but then rely on their speed to escape. It was found that the warthogs showed no external signs of the infection but that they remained infective to domestic pigs for at least 33 days, this being the date on which the experiment terminated. They can travel for short distances at 55 kilometres (34 mi) per hour as they run to the safety of one of their burrows. Oxpeckers and other birds ride on warthogs and eat insects off their bodies. A sounder occupies a home range of about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) which is usually centred on a water hole. Where the ranges of two different groups overlap, each may use the same burrow on different occasions. The warthogs dig a number of burrows, or take over holes excavated by other animals, and move from one to another. Desert Warthog using Mbot Dynamic Campaign Engine modified by Miguel21. It has a rather flattened head with distinctive facial paired protuberances ("warts") and large curving canine teeth which protrude as tusks. Desert Warthogs are widespread over open savannas in Western, Central and Eastern Africa. Where the ranges of two different groups overlap, each may use the same burrow on different occasions. The desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) is a species of even-toed ungulate in the pig family , found in northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. The desert warthog has specific warning grunts that alert the rest of the group to danger. They have little fur, except for a mane that goes down the spine to the middle of the back, according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). Visit our corporate site. During the rare times a warthog decides to face an attacker instead of hiding in their den, it will slash at the attacker with its tusks and bite with its sharp teeth. A sounder will be guided by an older female during grazing and foraging periods. Males weigh 9 to 23 kilograms (20 to 50 pounds) more than females, but both are distinguished by disproportionately large heads and “warts” — thick protective pads that appear on both sides of the head. This is because it is common in some parts of its range and the population is thought to be stable. The Desert is on the Ethiopia/Somali border south into Kenya. Please refresh the page and try again. By Common warthogs live in the grasslands and savanna woodlands of Africa. The warthog is a wild pig that lives primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. Desert warthog: Northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. The young dive in head first but the older animals reverse direction and back in so that they can defend themselves with their tusks. A warthog's diet includes roots, berries, bark, bulbs, grass and plants. It also faces competition at waterholes and for grazing with domestic livestock. If they live in a dangerous area, they forage at night. Fossils have been found from the Holocene epoch showing that two divergent lines of warthogs (Phacochoerus spp.) Predators are necessary to an healthy ecosystem. The upper tusks grow up to 10 or 11 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) long, according to the San Diego Zoo. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, painted dogs, hyenas, and eagles all like to snack on a warthog when they get a chance. overview; data; media; articles; maps; names The body is sparsely covered with bristly hairs and a more dense region of hairs runs along the spine and forms a crest. The desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) is a species of even-toed ungulatein the pig family (Suidae), found in northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. These are not present in juveniles but grow over the course of a few years. They prefer open areas, and are found on Mount Kilimanjaro at an elevation of 3,000 meters (9,843 feet), according to ADW. Desert warthogs live in social groups called "sounders" consisting mostly of females and their offspring while males tend to live in solitude or form bachelor groups. Forget their tusks for a moment; just a boar coming barrelling into you at Mach 2 is likely to hurt, so predators try to catch them from behind as much as possible, avoiding the sharp end. Desert Warthog Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Pallas 1766). This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali warthog (P. a. delamerei). Thank you for signing up to Live Science. Warthogs have longer legs than other swine. © New York, Warthogs can run up to 30 mph (48 km/h). The desert warthog differs from the bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus) and the giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) in having facial warts and proportionately larger tusks. The desert warthog is an important host of the tsetse fly, and in some parts of its range efforts are being made to reduce warthog numbers because of this. They have little fur, except for a mane that goes down the spine to the middle of the back, according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW). Common warthogs are slightly larger than desert warthogs. They munch on dead animals, worms or bugs they find as they forage. Warthog with young at Ulusaba Game Reserve, South Africa , Credit by Susan Aitken. Lions are the main predator of the common warthog. However, this is nowadays restricted to the desert warthog found in Somalia, Eastern Ethiopia, and Northern Kenya. Animal Database is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Warthogs aren’t known to stick to a single burrow for the fact that they will need to duck for cover when predators approach. They are larger in males than in females. However, if a female warthog has any piglets to defend she will defend them very aggressively. Desert warthogs are found in eastern Africa — in parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Their frequent urination leaves scent markers that inform males of their receptive state. Desert Predators Mammalian Predators. They have large teeth or tusks. During the late nineteenth century, P. aethiopicus became extinct in South Africa. Female piglets will stick with their mothers to form sounders, while males will generally go roaming. Subsequently, study of mDNA as well as morphological analysis has shown that the East African population of warthogs, previously thought to be a variant of the common warthog, are in fact surviving members of the putatively extinct P. aethiopicus. Find the perfect warthog predator stock photo. Warthogs live in dens made by aardvarks. Female warthogs, called sows, are social animals and live in groups called sounders, which can contain up to 40 members, according to the San Diego Zoo. The upper tusks … For example, the common warthog and the northern form of the "desert" warthog (P. aethiopicus delamerei) are sympatric in parts of northern Kenya (Grubb & d'Huart, 2013; de Jong & Butynski, 2014). (54 to 113 kilograms). NY 10036. Without these animals, prey species may drive others to extinction through competition for food. The desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) is a species of even-toed ungulate in the pig family , found in northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. A separate species, the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), occurs in northern Kenya and the Horn of Africa. Warthogs use grasslands and open woodlands across most of sub-Saharan Africa. The juveniles become sexually mature at one to one and a half years and life expectancy is ten or more years. You should always stop for the little things while in the bush, because you never know where a sighting might lead! Desert warthogs were experimentally infected with the virus that causes African swine fever. In popular culture. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. The habitat of the desert warthog is open arid countryside including thin woodland with scattered trees, xerophyticscrubland and sandy plains, but not upland areas. Common warthogs have two upper and four to six lower incisors, according to ADW, while desert warthogs lack incisors. Like their relatives, warthogs are plump, hooved animals with large nostrils at the end of the snout. Warthogs will also wallow in mud to get rid of insects and to cool down on a hot day. collect. The ancestors of the present day common warthog (P. africanus) had a different number of incisors than the ancestral desert warthog (P. aethiopicus) line. This allows them to run away from these potential predators, reaching speeds of up to 34 miles (55 kilometers) per hour. The desert warthog is native to the Horn of Africa. During times of scarcity, warthogs may eat meat, but they don't hunt. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, The Warthog is a member of the wild pig family, and they are larger than many other species. Regardless, they are usually within walking distance of water. To reduce the risk of their animals being infected with this disease, farmers used to shoot desert warthogs. The common warthog is a member of Suidae or pig family and is related to pigs, boars, and hogs.The warthog was previously thought to be a subspecies of P. aethiopicus. The common warthog is found all across the sub-Saharan region of Africa, while the desert warthog lives in northern Kenya and the Horn of Africa. Here is the taxonomy information for warthogs, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS): Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Artiodactyla Family: Suidae Subfamily: Suinae Tribe: Phacochoerini Genus: Phacochoerus Species: Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog), Phacochoerus aethiopicus (desert warthog) Subspecies: The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists warthogs as least concern on their Red List of Threatened Species. And as the name also suggests, warthogs have patches on their faces that look like warts, but are just thick growths of skin. Both species occupy areas much drier than other pigs, but the Common – apparently – does not inhabit the drier range of the Desert Warthog. It is now realised that the disease is actually transmitted by the tick Ornithodoros moubata, and that elimination of warthogs in order to try to protect domestic swine serves no useful purpose. Its current range extends from southeastern Ethiopia through western Somalia to eastern and Central Kenya. The warthog have lot of predators in the African wild including lions, cheetahs and crocodiles although the human is one of the main predators of the warthog. The groups do n… They often kneel to eat lower grasses or to slurp up a bug. They have four protrusions that come out of the head and that is where their name comes from. In a dry season, these animals can go months without water, according to National Geographic. Baby warthogs are called piglets. Warthog Predators and Threats. In North Africa they can only be seen in the Sahela region. 21 March 2017. The common warthog is found in much of Africa, below the Sahara desert. She defends them from predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyaenas. They weigh a hefty 120 to 250 lbs. One of the older females leads the group and they forage for grasses, leafy plants, flowers and fruit. The young live with their mother in her sounder. They may freeze initially but then rely on their speed to escape. Adult males aren't as social and can be territorial. Warthog Facts and Information Phacochoerus africanus Introduction to Warthog. They zoom right to their dens and enter rear first, with their tusks sticking out of the entrance for added security. Warthogs also have padding on their knees. The general colour is mid to dark brown but the crest is sometimes whitish. It roams across the open plains, grazing on berries and grasses, using its strong tusks to dig up roots and remove tree bark. Fly the A-10C in an immersive dynamic system which will record your destructions and losses. The common warthog has the widest distribution in Africa, whereas the desert warthog is only found in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. Occasionally, they will also eat insects, dead animals, or tre… Warthogs protect themselves from predators by fleeing or sliding backwards into a hole, thus being in a position to use their formidable tusks in an attack. Another subspecies, commonly known as the Cape warthog (P. a. aethiopicus), became extinct around 1865, but formerly occurred in South Africa. Unique Desert Warthog Posters designed and sold by artists. Fossils have been found from the Holocene epoch showing that two divergent lines of warthogs (Phacochoerus spp.) The warthog Pumbaa and his meerkat friend Timon are important characters of Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King and its franchise. Like pigs, warthogs don't have sweat glands to cool themselves. Leopards will wait on top of termite mounds above warthog burrows, knowing the occupant(s) have to … The most common predators of the warthog are lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and crocodiles. The warthog is a tough, sturdy animal. Females tend to stay with their mother as adults, while males tend to go off on their own. Their speed helps them outrun predators. There was a problem. The Warthog is 120-150 cm long and up to 80 cm tall, with a total body mass of 70-120 kilograms. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Their tails also end with a tuft of hair. The gestation period is about 170 days and a litter of usually two or three piglets is born in one of the burrows. She defends them from predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyaenas. Subsequently, study of mDNA as well as morphological analysis has shown that the East African popula… Warthogs are often perceived as vicious animals that attack and eat prey. Although they reproduce at a high rate, the populations seem to be in a general decline. The warthog has poor eyesight even though warthogs have a good sense of smell Warthogs are also good at running and jumping. Their tails also end with a tuft of hair.They have large teeth or tusks. The young begin to emerge from the burrow for short periods when about three weeks old and as they get bigger they follow their mother closely. Warthogs are generally passive and look for already abandoned dens to make their homes. Warthog piglets weigh around 1 to 2 lbs. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali warthog (P. a. delamerei). Females come into oestrus every six weeks in the breeding season, which usually coincides with the end of the rainy season between March and May. The tail is long and thin and is tipped with a small brush of coarse hair. In its Red List of Endangered Species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the desert warthog as being of "Least Concern". It needs regular access to waterholes and so may occur near villages and places where water seeps to the surface in otherwise dry areas.[. Warthogs are prolific breeders and research is being performed into their breeding and recruitment patterns as a means of deciding how best to control them. They sometimes eat dung, including their own, and will tear bark from trees. (450 to 900 grams) at birth, according to the San Diego Zoo. Contrary to popular misconceptions that desert warthogs and similar species are vicious predators because of their protruding canines, desert warthogs are predominantly herbivores. Desert warthogs are diurnal and are largely herbivorous. Whether you are interested in warthogs because of Pumbaa (of Disney’s Lion King), or think of them simply as lion-bait, these creatures will surprise you!Learn more about the industrious warthog. They received this listing because they are widespread in their home areas and have a high reproduction rate. From hooves to shoulders, warthogs are around 30 inches (36 centimeters) tall and 35 to 59 inches (89 to 150 cm) long from shoulders to rump. Five fascinating facts about warthogs: Shop affordable wall art to hang in dorms, bedrooms, offices, or anywhere blank walls aren't welcome. The desert warthog is a stockily-built animal growing to an average length of 125 centimetres (49 in) and weight of 75 kilograms (165 lb) with males being larger than females. Predators Lions and leopards are the warthog's chief enemies.