Warthog (redirected from Phacochoerus africanus)

warthog

Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)

(credit: Karl H. Maslowski)

Large-headed species (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) of pig (ungulate family Suidae), inhabiting open and lightly forested areas of Africa. Warthogs, about 30 in. (76 cm) high, are blackish or brown, with a coarse mane from the neck to the midback. The male has two pairs of bumps (warts) on the face. Both sexes have tusks. The tusks on the lower jaw are weapons; those on the upper jaw curve upward and inward in a semicircle, growing to more than 24 in. (60 cm) in some males. The long tufted tail is held high when the animal runs. Warthogs live in groups, feeding on grass and other vegetation.

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warthog

a wild pig, Phacochoerus aethiopicus, of southern and E Africa, having heavy tusks, wartlike protuberances on the face, and a mane of coarse hair

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Warthog 

(Pacochoerus), a genus of nonruminant eventoed ungulates of the swine family (suidae). on the sides of the head the males have warty skin excrescences (hence its name, warthog). The length of the body, exclusive of the tail, is 1.5–1.9 m, and the height at the shoulders is 65–85 cm. The body is covered with a sparse bristle. In the upper jaw are large upward-curving tusks. One species, P. aethiopicus, is found only in Africa (south of the Sahara). It is a primarily nocturnal animal, living in small herds in forest, shrub, and coastal thickets. It feeds on vegetable and animal food. It is hunted for its meat and skin.