Such animals as pigs and wild boars are familiar to everyone from childhood, but among this huge family of grunting and squealing animals there is one very interesting and amazing species. The African warthog, whose photo is now in front of you, is the prototype of the well-known Pumbaa from the cartoon "The Lion King". The hilarious character really showed viewers many truthful details about the lifestyle of real warthogs in the wild.
The African wild pig is quite unusual both in appearance and behavior. These wild animals in nature live in the African savannah. They are very different from their relatives. From this article you will learn how they live, what they eat and how amazing creatures of nature - African warthogs breed.
Warthog: photo, description
Starting to describe the appearance of the warthog, I want to immediately say, because ofwhich is what they called him. The thing is that the muzzle of the animal is covered with warts. With age, they increase, old boars walk with large bumps, which are skin growths.
When you first see a warthog, you immediately pay attention to the disproportionately large head, which is also flattened. Big, just huge white fangs are also eye-catching.
The African warthog is a very large artiodactyl animal. Its length sometimes reaches two meters with a weight of 110-120 kg. Against the background of such a powerful physique, his thin ponytail looks rather funny. If the animal is alarmed or puzzled by something, it quickly runs across the savannah, while its tail lifts up amusingly. Watching such a picture, it is impossible not to smile.
The wool of the African pig is hard and rare. Dark thick skin peeps through such a bad “fur coat”. In the African climate, this animal does not need warm fur, nature has taken care that it is not too hot. In addition, probably trying to somehow decorate the unsightly appearance of the warthog, she rewarded him with a long mane that “flaunts” on the scruff of the neck and along the ridge.
Habitats in the natural environment
In its natural environment, the warthog lives on the African continent. The largest population of these animals is observed south of the Sahara desert, in Tanzania. African boars do not like open areas and dense forests. They prefer to settle in the savannah, which is full of dry bushes.
Usually likenoted by scientists, artiodactyl animals do not arrange a permanent place of residence for themselves. This does not apply at all to the warthog, which selects a suitable place and settles down in a cozy den. An interesting fact is that the beast, wanting to take a nap in its dwelling, crawls there, backing away like a cancer. As a result, his head with huge fangs is at the entrance to the "house". Thus, the boar is protected from attack by enemies.
Wildlifestyle
The African warthog is very different in its behavior and way of life from other types of pigs. To begin with, this large boar prefers to sleep sweetly in his lair at night, while his other brethren sleep during the day and graze at night.
The fangs of this animal are large, with a bend upwards. They serve him as a weapon against enemies, but during battles with other males, the warthog only growls and tries to push the opponent away, resting his forehead on his forehead. Fangs are not used during such battles, while other types of boars attack with their fangs on any occasion.
The main natural enemy of the warthog is the lion. To protect themselves from a predator attack at night, wild boars often use the aardvark dwelling as a den, where they feel protected. Such a neighborhood does not harm either the owner or the guest, since aardvarks leave the house at night to get food.
What does a warthog eat?
The African warthog feeds mainly on plant foods. Its menu includes: berries, plant leaves, tree bark, grass. But such a dietnevertheless, it is diluted with protein food; in times of famine, wild boars can even eat carrion. So you can’t call these animals vegetarians, they are omnivores.
The warthog naturally got too long legs with a very short neck. For this reason, they are not capable of pinching grass while standing. To graze, the animal has to kneel, the same thing it does at the watering hole. Because of this, warthogs “flaunt” coarse large calluses on their knees.
African Warthog Breeding
There are no specific dates for the mating season for warthogs. This is explained by the warm climate in which these fanged pigs live. When they have the breeding season, they do not turn into aggressive animals, on the contrary, they behave peacefully and relatively calmly. Only occasionally do males become competitive and fight head-on.
The female bears cubs in her womb for about 6 months. When there is little time left before the birth, the expectant mother feels this and very rarely leaves the den. She tries to ensure that the babies are born in the hole. Usually there are no more than four piglets in one farrowing.
Warthog and man
The African warthog can cause considerable harm to people. Large boars in some areas devastate plantations and fields, trampling and eating planted vegetation.
The benefit of the animal is that people are happy to eat meatwarthogs. It is not only very nutritious and tasty, but also he althy. In general, the African boar is a rather harmless animal, despite its large powerful body and huge fangs.
