Phacochoerus is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced wart-hog). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly considered conspecific under the scientific name Phacochoerus aethiopicus, but today this is limited to the desert warthog, while the best-known and most widespread species, the common warthog (or simply warthog), is Phacochoerus africanus.[2]
Although covered in bristly hairs, a warthog's body and head appear largely bare, from a distance, with only a crest of hair along the back and the tufts on the face and tail being obvious. The English name "wart"-hog refers to their facial wattles, which are particularly distinct in males. The males also have very prominent tusks, which reach a length of 10 to 25 inches (25 to 64 centimetres); females' tusks are always smaller.[3] They are largely herbivorous, but, like most suids, opportunistically eat invertebrates or small animals, even scavenging on carrion.[4] While both species remain fairly common and widespread, and considered to be of Least Concern by the IUCN, the nominate subspecies of desert warthog, commonly known as the Cape warthog (P. a. aethiopicus) was extinct by around 1865.[5]
Species in taxonomic order
The genus Phacochoerus contains two species. The two species emerged from ecological barriers.[6]P. africanus were found with a lack of upper incisors, while P. aethiopicus were found with a full set.[6]
Genus Phacochoerus – F. Cuvier, 1826 – two species
Nolan (northern) warthog (P. a. africanus) Gmelin, 1788
Eritrean warthog (P. a. aeliani) Cretzschmar, 1828
Central African warthog (P. a. massaicus) Lönnberg, 1908
Southern warthog (P. a. sundevallii) Lönnberg, 1908
Widespread in the savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia down to South Africa, absent from heavily forested or desert areas.
Size: A head-and-body length ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 m (2 ft 11 in to 4 ft 11 in), and shoulder height from 63.5 to 85 cm (25.0 to 33.5 in). Females, at 45 to 75 kg (99 to 165 lb), are smaller and lighter than males, at 60 to 150 kg (130 to 330 lb).[7]
^ abd'Huart, JP; Grubb, P (2001). "Distribution of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) in the Horn of Africa". African Journal of Ecology. 39 (2): 156–169. doi:10.1046/j.0141-6707.2000.00298.x – via Web of Science.
Media related to Phacochoerus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Phacochoerus at Wikispecies