Facts about the Warthog -- Phacochoerus aethiopicus:

A summary of most interesting statistics (size, gestation...), amazing environmental adaptations & fascinating facts about social habits, etc.

SIZE: Shoulder height (m) 70 cm, (f) 60 cm; mass (m) 100 kg, (f) 70 kg.

COLOUR: Dull grey, with smooth skin sparsely covered by dark bristles. A mane of grey, brown or yellowish hair runs from back of head to base of tail, which ends in a blackish tuft.

POTENTIAL LONGEVITY: 20 years

RECORD LENGTH OF UPPER TUSK: 61 cm

SPEED: 30 - 50 km/hr

MOST LIKE: The Bushpig, which is about the same size, but lighter. The warthog's eyes are set higher, and its ears don't have the bushpig's long tuft of hair. The warthog runs with its tail up, the bushpig with its tail down. The warthog has characteristic facial 'warts', and is often associated with vleis and open grassland, as opposed to the bushpigs' preference for thick bush.

HABITAT: Open grassland, often near water, avoiding thick bush or forest.

FOOD:

REPRODUCTION & GESTATION PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION MAP:

WHERE FOUND:
Kruger National Park (South Africa)
Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa)
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park
Tembe Elephant Park