African Savanna

Range:

Warthogs live in sub-Saharan Africa

Habitat:

Found in savanna, scrubland and scrub-forest areas.

Characteristics:

Both male and female warthogs are distinguished by very large heads and “warts” — thick protective skin pads that appear on both sides of the head. The warty patches are primarily used to protect their faces during fights. Warthogs tend to be right or left-tusked, so the tusks on one side of the face often show more wear. The tusks grow continuously throughout their lives.

Warthogs have poor eyesight, but they have an excellent sense of hearing and smell. Their eyes are located high on the sides of their heads providing them with a wide view of the landscape as they feed.

Behavior:

A group of warthogs is a sounder and is usually made up of females, called sows, and their offspring, called piglets. Male warthogs are called boars and are less social, often traveling alone except during mating season.

Den sites are important to warthog survival. Dens provide them with both protection from the sun and insulation from cold. Sometimes, warthogs fill their dens with grasses for added warmth. In the mornings, when exiting the burrow, the warthogs burst out of their dens at top speed to get a running start on lurking predators.

Warthogs often wallow in mud holes. This behavior serves three purposes. First, they lack sweat glands, so they are able to cool their body temperature in the mud. Second, since they lack thick fur, a nice coating of mud serves as protection from sunburn and biting insects. Third, the muddy coloration helps them to blend in with the color of the mud hole.

Reproduction:

During the breeding season, males battle for the chance to mate and are observed butting heads and large upper tusks, in an attempt to attract mates. The large warts on their faces serve as shock absorbers during combat. Once the female is pregnant, gestation lasts about five and a half months. She gives birth to one to eight piglets.

Interesting Facts:

Warthogs can reach speeds of 30 miles per hour. Their speed helps them outrun predators.

Warthogs have a unique symbiotic relationship with ox peckers, yellow hornbills and other birds. They allow these birds to ride on their backs and eat insects off their bodies.

Warthogs are able to go long periods without water, as long as several months in the dry season.

Conservation:

Although warthogs are beneficial to the land by churning up the land aerating the soil and aiding plant growth as they root for food, they are often involved in human-wildlife conflicts.

They are also threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation as well as competition with livestock for water and food. They are also hunted for bushmeat, skins and their tusks.