Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Warthog

Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Warthog - Page 38

Trophic Level II - The Herbivores
Warthog
Page 38

Phacochoerus africanus

Length: 105-152 cm (41-60")

Height: 55-85 cm (22-33")

Tail: 35-50 cm (14-20")

Weight: 45-75 kg (99-165 lb.) female, 60-150 kg (132-330 lb.) male

Status: Common

Habitat: Warthogs are most common on alluvial soils where there is a mixture of grasslands and woodlands. They are fond of aardvark holes and are found in greater numbers where there are many such holes. They are able to dig their own dens but will also take over the dens excavated by aardvarks. These holes allow them to escape the variations in temperature above the ground. Earth acts as a good insulator and these wild pigs take shelter in holes to escape the hot temperatures of the plains during the day and the cool temperatures at night. They will also wallow in mud during the hotter periods of the day.

Warthogs always back into a hole so that their tusks are facing any enemy that may come in after them.

They are common on most savannas. Unlike most pigs, warthogs can tolerate more arid and open areas. These are the most commonly seen pigs in Africa. They are absent only from deserts, rainforests and mountains above 3 000 meters (9,840 feet).

Food: Warthogs graze during the rains, filling up on the rich young grasses. They favor the shorter species of grass. They will get down on their front knees and "walk" along in an awkward-looking position as they feed. They will also eat the seedheads of growing grasses.

In the dry season, they feed on the bases of leaves and the rhizomes (underground runners) that store nutrients. They use their snouts to root for these treats. They are the only herbivore that can access buried, highly nutritious rhizomes and bulbs. In the best habitat, there are as many as 30 warthogs for every 30 square kilometers (12 square miles).

They will also eat fallen fruits, root through droppings for undigested food and even scavenge from carrion. Soils are sometimes eaten for their mineral content.

Sows live in clans made up of related individuals. A clan will feed over a shared range of between 72 and 429 hectares (178-1060 acres). Within the clan, there will be several smaller, distinct groups called sounders. A sounder consists of five or fewer warthogs made up of the sow and her present year’s offspring. Sometimes, a second or even third adult female will join to form a much larger group. Associated mothers will suckle each other's young. Females will remain with their mothers for up to two years and will continue to share the same range after that. They form their own sounder within the clan. Young females may move from one sounder to another within the clan group.

Males also remain within the clan's territory after they leave the sounder. They form groups of males that stay together until they are sexually mature at four years old. Adult males only join sows when a female is in heat.

Behavior: Females are active during the daylight hours. They will travel an average of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) in their search for food. Young warthogs follow her. Sounders retire at night into one of the many dens (up to 10) that dot their range. Burrows are used on a first come, first served, basis. Should one be occupied by another sounder, the latecomers move on to another one.

Boars are often active after dark for an hour or two. They will feed later on moonlit nights.

In the Serengeti-Mara, females breed as the rainy season ends. The birth of the young generally coincides with the next rainy season 160 to 170 days later. They first conceive when they are one and a half years old.

When they are about to farrow (give birth), a sow seeks out an isolated burrow. She stays underground for the first week, nursing her piglets. Except for a few changes of den, the piglets stay in their burrow until they are close to two months old. After that, they follow their mothers everywhere. There is a fixed order to the line of piglets behind the sow, based on a dominance pattern established when they were nursing. Young are weaned by 6 months.

When warthogs run or trot, they raise their tails straight up. Why they raise their tails is not known. Some sources suggest it is to allow the young to follow them. Since the young are smaller and usually quite close, it is difficult to see how this would assist them. The raised tail may serve as a visual warning to other warthogs.

Both sexes have tusks but the males’ are longer. Males will have two pair of warts on their faces. Females only have one. The wart is actually a bony protuberance that protects the warthog from damage when they are fighting. Boars push and shove with their upper tusks and snouts. The so-called warts absorb the blows.

Predators: The top speed of a warthog is 55 kilometers per hour (34 mph). This is fast enough to escape a lion, but warthogs lack the endurance to outrun a wild dog or spotted hyena. Cheetahs do not usually bother with warthogs due to the danger presented by the pig's tusks. Lions will sniff out a burrow during the night and wait in ambush for the pigs to emerge in the morning. About half of the piglets fail to survive their first year.

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