Warthog
Warthog | |
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Male common warthog Phacochoerus africanus Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Suidae |
Tribe: | Phacochoerini |
Genus: | Phacochoerus F. Cuvier, 1826 |
Type species | |
Aper aethiopicus[1] Pallas, 1766
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Species | |
Synonyms | |
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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.[2]
Description
Although covered in bristly hairs, their bodies and heads appear largely naked from a distance, with only the crest along the back, and the tufts on their cheeks and tails being obviously haired. The English name refers to their facial wattles, which are particularly distinct in males. They also have very distinct tusks, which reach a length of 10 to 25 inches (25 to 64 centimetres) in the males, but are always smaller in the females.[3] They are largely herbivorous, but occasionally also eat small animals.[4] While both species remain fairly common and widespread, and therefore are considered to be of Least Concern by the IUCN, the nominate subspecies of the desert warthog, commonly known as the Cape warthog, became extinct around 1865.[5]
Species in taxonomic order
The genus Phacochoerus contains two species. The two species emerged from ecological barriers.[6] P. africanus were found with a lack of upper incisors, while P. aethiopicus were found with a full set.[6]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
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Common warthog | Phacochoerus africanus (Gmelin, 1788) Four subspecies
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Widespread in the savannah of Sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia down to South Africa, absent from heavily forested or desert areas. |
Size: A head-and-body length ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 m (2 ft 11 in to 4 ft 11 in), and shoulder height from 63.5 to 85 cm (25.0 to 33.5 in). Females, at 45 to 75 kg (99 to 165 lb), are smaller and lighter than males, at 60 to 150 kg (130 to 330 lb).[7] Habitat: Diet: |
LC
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Desert warthog | Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Pallas, 1766) |
Northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. |
Size: Average length of 125 centimetres (49 in) and weight of 75 kilograms (165 lb) with males being larger than females.[9] Habitat: Diet: |
LC
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References
- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kingdon, J. (1997). The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals. Academic Press Limited, London. ISBN 0-12-408355-2.
- ^ d'Huart, J.P.; Butynski, T.M.M. & De Jong, Y. (2008). "Phacochoerus aethiopicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ^ a b d'Huart, JP; Grubb, P (2001). "Distribution of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and the desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) in the Horn of Africa". African Journal of Ecology. 39 (2): 156–169. doi:10.1046/j.0141-6707.2000.00298.x – via Web of Science.
- ^ "Common Warthog Phacochoerus africanus" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
- ^ d'Huart, J.P.; Butynski, T.M.M. & De Jong, Y. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Phacochoerus aethiopicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41767A99376685. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41767A44140316.en. Retrieved 12 April 2022. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
- ^ Winkelstern, Ian (2009). "Phacochoerus aethiopicus". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
External links
- Media related to Phacochoerus at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Phacochoerus at Wikispecies
- d'Huart, J.P. & Grubb, P. (2005). A photographic guide to the differences between the Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) and the Desert Warthog (Ph. aethiopicus).[permanent dead link] Suiform Soundings 5(2): 4–8.