The warthog Scientific Name: Phacochoerus aethiopicus: swahili : Ngiri Weighs about 60- 120 kilos (120 to 250 pounds) and have a gestation period of 175 days ,attaining a height of about 30 inches at the shoulder, is a grazer . The warthog is neither graceful nor beautiful, warthogs are nonetheless remarkable animals. They are found in most of Africa south of the Sahara and are widely distributed in Ethiopia, Somalia, kenya Uganda and tanzania. They are the only pigs able to live in areas without water for several months of the year.
The warthog is a tough, sturdy animal. Males weigh 20 to 50 pounds more than females, but both are distinguished by disproportionately large heads and “warts”—thick protective pads that appear on both sides of the head. The warthog's large tusks are unusual: The two upper ones emerge from the sides of the snout to form a semicircle; the lower tusks at the base of the uppers are worn to a sharp cutting edge.
The long tail ends with a tuft of bristles.
The warthog characteristically carries its tail upright when it runs, the tuft waving like a tiny flag. Warthogs are not territorial but instead occupy a home range.Warthogs live in groups called sounders. Females live in sounders with their young and with other females. Sometimes two families, often of related females, will join together. Warthogs sleep and rest in holes.
Although they can excavate, warthogs normally use those dug by other animals, like aardvarks. Before giving birth to a new litter, the female chases away the litter she has been raising and secludes herself. These juveniles may join up with another solitary female for a short time before they go on their own. Female warthogs only have four teats, so litter sizes usually are confined to four young.
Each piglet has its "own" teat and suckles exclusively from it. Even if one piglet dies, the others do not suckle from the available teat. The warthog is mainly a grazer and has adapted an interesting practice of kneeling on its calloused, hairy, padded knees to eat short grass. Using its snout and tusks, it also digs for bulbs, tubers and roots during the dry season. They may eat earthworms and other small invertebrates during the wet season.
The warthog has poor vision (though better than most other African wild pigs), but its senses of smell and hearing are good.When alarmed, the warthog grunts or snorts, lowers its mane, flattens its ears and bolts for underground cover. Warthogs are omnivorous, composed of grasses, roots, berries and other fruits, bark, fungi, eggs and carrion.the diet is seasonably variable, depending on availability of different food items.
During the wet seasons warthogs graze on short perennial grasses. During the dry seasons they subsist on bulbs, rhizomes and nutritious root. Although capable of fighting, with males aggressively fighting each other during mating season, a primary defence is to flee by means of fast sprinting. The main warthog predators are humans, lions, leopards, crocodiles, and hyenas. Cheetahs are also capable of catching small warthogs.
JNK- kenya safari
Hope Mission Safaris
No comments:
Post a Comment