Common Warthog

Warthogs are mainly herbivores that primarily eat grasses. However, they also enjoy eating roots, shoots, and the bark of young trees and shrubs. Sometimes, they will scavenge for animal remains. When water is hard to find, warthogs can go for months without drinking any water. They manage to stay hydrated by getting moisture from the tubers and other plants they eat.

At the Zoo, warthogs eat a specialized herbivore pellet, hay, fruits, and vegetables.

The common warthog is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Common warthogs prefer habitats with open spaces like grassy plains, savannas with some trees, and bushy areas. They tend to stay away from thick forests and deserts because these places don’t offer enough grass and plants for them to eat. Warthogs also need places, like mud wallows, where they can cool down to deal with hot weather.

Warthogs face many predators, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, painted dogs, and even humans. To stay safe, they are mostly active during the day and sleep in burrows at night. However, when they live near humans, warthogs might change their schedules and become more active at night to avoid danger.

Although warthogs are found in many places and are usually plentiful, their numbers are decreasing in several areas. This decline is due to threats like habitat loss and damage caused by human activities, which can lead to droughts and increased competition for food and water with domestic animals. Unsustainable hunting or trapping for sport, food, or as a result of conflicts with humans can also pose a serious risk to warthogs in some parts of Africa.

Common warthogs have big heads and thick, barrel-shaped bodies. Their skin is usually a dark gray or black color as adults. Both male and female warthogs have two sets of tusks: an upper set and a lower set. The upper tusks can grow up to 10 inches long, and the tusks of females are a bit smaller. These animals also have visible "warts" or growths on their faces—males have three sets, while females have two. These warts help protect them and cushion their heads during fights, which is important for males when they compete to mate.

Warthogs have a long mane of dark hair that runs from the back of their necks along their spines. The rest of their body has sparse, coarse hair. Their tails are long and end in a tuft of hair.

Common warthogs have large, broad snouts that give them an excellent sense of smell. They often kneel on their front legs to look for food underground and use their tusks to dig it up. Their knees are calloused, which lets them stay in this kneeling position for a long time. Warthogs have longer legs than other types of pigs, allowing them to run at speeds of up to 34 miles per hour.

Mating in common warthogs is seasonally dependent, usually several months after the rainy season. Female warthogs usually live in groups called soundings, while males tend to be alone except during mating season. They do not have territories, but they will fight to have the chance to mate.

Male warthogs do not help take care of the young. After a pregnant female, called a sow, carries her babies for a little over five months, she gives birth to one to seven little piglets. These piglets are born in a burrow, and the family stays underground for the first week. Sometimes, females will share their burrows and help nurse each other's young. After about a week, the mother will start going out to find food while the piglets remain in the burrow for around six to seven weeks. Once they are older, the young warthogs will follow their mother when she is out foraging. They are fully weaned at about six months, but they may stay with the group for up to two more years until they reach maturity.

Common warthogs have poor eyesight, but they have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They make different sounds like grunts, growls, snorts, and squeaks to talk to each other. These sounds can signal a threat, give a warning, or say hello. If a warthog feels scared, it will sprint away with its tail held high to alert others around it.

Warthogs are tactile when socializing and will use physical touch to communicate. Nuzzling, rubbing against one another, and grooming occur during friendly meetings. They have special glands on their faces that release scents to mark objects and each other, sharing information. When they urinate, it helps mark the edges of their home territories and shows they are ready to mate. Male warthogs tend to use scent marking more often than females, especially during mating season.

Warthogs are diurnal, which means they are more active during the day, but will rest during the hottest parts of the day. To avoid humans, they might become more active at night in areas near people.

Instead of digging their own homes, warthogs use holes made by aardvarks or natural burrows. They rely on these burrows for protection to raise their babies, sleep, hide from predators, and escape extreme weather. Even when it is really hot or very cold outside, a warthog stays comfortable inside its burrow. They often switch to different burrows within their territory.