Where to see them:
Warthog habitat, Mzima Springs
Warthogs use the burrows of other animals for shelter. When threatened, they quickly charge forth, often surprising potential predators.
The warthog has avoided becoming endangered because they are so skilled at adapting to new threats.
Female warthogs only have four teats, so when piglets nurse they each have their "own" teat and suckle exclusively from it until weaned.
Adult males average 28 to 30 inches long and 250 pounds; adult females average 25 to 28 inches long and 150 pounds.
South of the Sahara nearly to the southern tip of Africa
Savanna woodlands and grasslands
Warthogs are grazers that feed on grasses, roots, berries, tree bark and occasionally carrion.
Mating often occurs at the end of the rainy season. After a 175-day gestation period, one to eight (usually 2 to 3) young are born in the dry season. Piglets nurse for several months and are completely weaned by 21 weeks of age. The young are temporarily driven away when the female is about to bear a new litter, but they may subsequently rejoin the family. Males separate from their mothers by the age of 15 months. Females stay longer, sometimes permanently. Warthogs are sexually mature at 18 to 24 months, but males usually do not mate until they are about 4 years old.
Some of My Neighbors (IN THE WILD)
Aardvarks, African elephants, bush pigs, African wild dogs, hyenas, lions
Population Status & Threats
Warthogs are not a protected species, but many populations are in serious decline due to overhunting in unprotected areas. Farmers will also exterminate warthogs because they are symptomless carriers of swine fever, a disease endemic to Africa that is fatal to domestic pigs.