Warthog

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Genus of wild pigs

title: "Warthog" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["phacochoerus", "fauna-of-sub-saharan-africa", "suids-of-africa", "taxa-named-by-frédéric-cuvier", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Genus of wild pigs" topic_path: "general/phacochoerus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warthog" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of wild pigs ::

::callout[type=note] the animal ::

| image = Common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) male.jpg | image_caption = Male common warthog Phacochoerus africanus Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa | taxon = Phacochoerus | authority = F. Cuvier, 1826 | type_species = Aper aethiopicus | type_species_authority = Pallas, 1766 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = Phacochoerus aethiopicus

Phacochoerus africanus |synonyms=

  • Aper Pallas, 1766
  • Dinochoerus Gloger, 1841
  • Eureodon G. Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
  • Macrocephalus Frisch, 1775
  • Macrocephalus Palmer, 1904
  • Phacellochaerus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1832
  • Phacellochoerus Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1832
  • Phacochaeres Gray, 1821
  • Phacocherus Fleming, 1822
  • Phacochoerus G. Cuvier, 1816
  • Phascochaeres Cretzschmar, 1828
  • Phascochaerus Desmarest, 1822
  • Phascochoeres Ranzani, 1821
  • Phascochoerus Ranzani, 1821

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.

Description

thumb|left|Skull 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; females' tusks are always smaller. They are largely herbivorous, but, like most suids, opportunistically eat invertebrates or small animals, even scavenging on carrion. 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.

Species in taxonomic order

The genus Phacochoerus contains two species. The two species emerged from ecological barriers. P. africanus were found with a lack of upper incisors, while P. aethiopicus were found with a full set.

|name=Common warthog |binomial=Phacochoerus africanus |image=File:Nolan warthog (Phacochoerus africanus africanus).jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Gmelin |authority-year=1788 |authority-not-original=yes |range= Widespread in the savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia down to South Africa, absent from heavily forested or desert areas. |range-image=File:Distribution P. africanus.svg |range-image-size=180px |size=A head-and-body length ranging from 0.9 to, and shoulder height from 63.5 to. Females, at 45 to, are smaller and lighter than males, at 60 to. |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Four subspecies |bullets=on |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

|name=Desert warthog |binomial=Phacochoerus aethiopicus |image=File:African Warthog - Phacochoerus aethiopicus.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Pallas |authority-year=1766 |authority-not-original=yes |range= Northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. |range-image=File:Phacochoerus aethiopicus map.svg |range-image-size=180px |size=Average length of 125 cm and weight of 75 kg with males being larger than females. |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Two subspecies |bullets=on |†P. a. aethiopicus (Pallas, 1766) |P. a. delamerei Lönnberg, 1909

References

References

  1. {{MSW3
  2. Novak, R. M. (editor) (1999). ''Walker's Mammals of the World.'' Vol. 2. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. {{ISBN. 0-8018-5789-9.
  3. Kingdon, J. (1997). ''The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals.'' Academic Press Limited, London. {{ISBN. 0-12-408355-2.
  4. d'Huart, J.P.. (2008). "''Phacochoerus aethiopicus''".
  5. (2001). "Distribution of the common warthog (''Phacochoerus africanus'') and the desert warthog (''Phacochoerus aethiopicus'') in the Horn of Africa". African Journal of Ecology.
  6. "Common Warthog ''Phacochoerus africanus''".
  7. de Jong, Y.A.. (2016). "''Phacochoerus africanus''".
  8. Winkelstern, Ian. (2009). "''Phacochoerus aethiopicus''". University of Michigan.
  9. de Jong, Y.A.. (2016). "''Phacochoerus aethiopicus''".

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