Phacochoerus africanus
The comically-looking Warthog is a firm favourite for many visitors to South Africa’s wild places, who probably find it easy to relate to the lovable Pumbaa from Disney’s The Lion King movies. These large pigs – males weigh as much as 115kg – are tough in the extreme and can put those impressive tusks to good use defending themselves and their piglets.
Warthogs inhabit open savannas, short grasslands, floodplains and semi-desert scrub, avoiding more densely vegetated areas (particularly forests and areas with long grass cover). They primarily feed on grass, roots, fruits, seeds and bark, but have been known to scavenge from carcasses and have even been recorded robbing cheetahs of their prey! They can go for long periods without water but will drink daily where it is available. They prefer feeding on very short growth and digging for morsels with their snouts, often going down on their knees for better access.
Groups of Warthogs, called sounders, usually consist of related sows and young, sometimes accompanied by an adult boar and number up to 16 individuals, though the males are mainly solitary especially outside the breeding season. Warthogs are sedentary and will often remain in the same general area for most of their lives. They are diurnal in habit, taking shelter in the disused holes of other animals or in man-made culverts at night. They always enter these burrows backside first, so as to protect themselves with those formidable tusks. Warthogs love a mudbath and through their rolling in the stuff help to enlarge waterholes over many years. These pigs have excellent sense of smell and hearing but terrible eyesight, often relying on oxpeckers to give them advance warning of danger. They can run at speeds in excess of 40km/h, always with their thin tails held aloft like the aerial on a radio-controlled car!
Sows give birth to between 1 and 8 (usually around 4) tiny piglets in their burrows during the spring and summer. Lactating sows will accept any piglets as their own. Warthogs feature on the menu of all Africa’s large predators, although adults will defend themselves and their young viciously with their tusks. Piglets are prone to dying of exposure to cold, wet conditions. Warthogs have a life expectancy of up to 20 years in the wild.
Listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN, it is estimated that there are at least 22,000 Warthogs in South Africa (and probably considerably more) where they seem to be expanding their range. There are free ranging populations of warthog in all South African provinces with the exception of the Western Cape. Good places to find Warthogs are the Addo Elephant, Kruger, Mapungubwe, Marakele, Mokala and Pilanesberg National Parks, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and Dinokeng and Ithala Game Reserves. Elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa Warthog populations are declining due to habitat loss, competition with livestock and severe hunting pressure, and are evermore being restricted to conservation areas.
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Squad cars… they prowl the empty streets at night. Sorry, they prowl the bushveld plains by day! 😉
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Ek dink hulle is sommer baie tougher as n squad car wat vir die geringste stampie in vlamme ontplof (soos op die tv)!
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The poor Warthog. Not only did it get passed over in the looks department, but it got saddled with an unfortunate name.
I too like the photo of the family walking down the path with their tails held high like antennae 🙂
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The Quasimodo of the animal world; so lovable but soooo ugly…
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hehehe!!
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The family looks really funny with their tails sticking up 😀
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My best guess would be that the raised tails acts like a flag to follow while fleeing through long grass, but it really makes us chuckle when the tails prick up the moment the warthog sets off on a run and drops immediately the moment the warthog comes to a stop!
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Just love them all, but oh those babies are simply huggable! 🙂
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The piglets are certainly adorable, Jude – such a pity they have to grow up!
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Fascinating animals!
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That is very true, thanks Alanna!
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Great information and great shots as always. I loved watching the warthogs run. Their little legs always make it seem like a whole lot of activity for not a lot of progress!
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Warthogs sure are very comical animals, Penne!
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Great detail Dries!
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Thanks a lot, Michael!
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Aaaaaggggg kyk net die kleingoed!
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Mooi van die lelik, ne Tina!?
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Hello. I love warthogs, as you say, they are full or character and very endearing, especially the piglets. Lovely photos. My sister who has a farm in the KZN midlands was surprised a few weeks ago by two adult male warthogs who were rooting around in an area of burnt bush on her property. She has never seen them there before, nor since I think. She does see bushpig on her farm frequently but said she was sure these new visitors were definitely warthog and she knows her wildlife.
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How I envy your sister for staying in such a beautiful area! We LOVE the midlands – Howick, Nottingham Road, Balgowan and especially the Karkloof!
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KZN midlands is nice but my favourite part of SA is the eastern transvaal lowveld.
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We have so many beautiful places in this country it would be really hard to decide on just one!
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Wow – he looks kinda scary! 🙂
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They can be quite intimidating!
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Hulle laat my altyd glimlag.
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Ons ook Toortsie!
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Pretty cool and gritty critters!
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Tough as nails! Well, as long as it doesn’t turn cold quickly…
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no kidding…maybe the babies are cute, but mom & dad…no! 🙂
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Poor things would be heartbroken to hear you say that, Teresa!
😀
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LOL!!
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Not very cute, but I do love that shot of the mom and four babies with their tails all up in the air. 🙂
janet
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They’re not going to win any beauty contests!
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