Warthog

Warthog - Phacochoerus aethiopicus

	Boar	Sow
Mass (adult)	± 60 -100 kg	± 45-70 kg
Shoulder height	± 70 cm	± 60 cm
Life expectancy	± 20 years	± 20 years

Identification
	The snout is broader than that of a domestic pig and long canine teeth curl over the snout. It lifts its tail vertically when it runs away. The male has two pairs of warts and the female only one pair. The male is appreciably larger and has longer canine teeth.
Habitat
	It prefers areas with short grass and mud pools. It also prefers woodland, grass plains (especially floodplains), vleis and open areas surrounding pans and water holes. It likes areas where fresh grass grows following a fire. It avoids thickets and is independent of water.
Habits
	It lives in family groups (male, female and her young), nursing groups (one or more females and their young) and temporary male groups, while solitary males are not uncommon. The Warthog is diurnal and sleeps at night in old ant bear holes that it enters backwards. Such holes also serve as a shelter against predators and bad weather. Home ranges overlap and become larger in dry seasons. It likes to wallow in the mud.
Food
	It feeds on grass, rhizomes and wild fruit. It drinks water regularly when available.
Vocalisation
	Growls, snorts and grunts. The male snaps its jaws as an overture to mating.
Breeding
	1 to 8 young are born from September to December after a gestation period of ± 5 months. The female has 2 pair of groin mammae.