Armor-headed wart hog By Amplion Watch

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Habitat: savannas and light forests of Southern Africa.

Ancestor of present species is usual in Holocene African wart hog (Phacochoerus). These hoofed mammals spend significant part of day in holes dug independently. And its descendant has finished this habit of life to extreme being shown on ground surface only at night. This animal spends day in shelters – wide holes at times directed downwards to two meters depth and stretch under ground to tens meters. In connection with such original habit of life the shape of animal had strongly changed.

The armor-headed wart hog reaches height only 40 cm at a shoulder. But its body is very much extended – almost meter longwise not including tail. About 20 % of body length the head turned to tunneling mashine amounts. At this animal there are large, slightly bent tusks sticking up forward and in sides – this animal digs and deepens holes, at feeding on surface overturns stones in searches of insect larvae and digs out plant tubers and rhizomes by them. At the top part of head thick layer of cornificate skin protecting head from casual fallings in holes is advanced. Tip of muzzle with “snout” characteristic for pigs is very mobile that partly compensates hindrances created by tusks at feeding. Nostrils of animal are closing during digging. Nasal courses are rather short but the olfactory surface forms numerous plicas: at armor-headed wart hog it is very sharp sense of smell. Sight of animal is rather weak; eyes are protected from ground by dense eyelashes. Ears are small; at digging they fold lengthways and nestle to sides of head. On cheekbones the large bone outgrowths especially advanced at males stick up.

Body is long and legs are short. On forward legs in front, and on back ones under hock there are calloused outgrowths serving as a support at ground digging (animal digs a hole standing “on knees”). Hooves are wide; at digging they are used for shoveling up the dug ground. Hairs on body are submitted by short thin bristle, “mane” on back characteristic for wart hog is not present. Skin is wrinkled and grayish-black. At the tip of long tail there is brush of white hair: tail is used for communication and signal submission.

Armor-headed wart hogs live in groups: dominant male, female and cubs of current litter (up to 5 cubs 2 times per one year are born). At new litter birthing at the female grown up young animals are driven out. The family of animals lives in constant territory which is jealously preserved against neighbours. At the territory usually there is a main hole and plenty of temporary refuges well known to all family of hogs. In due course holes are extending, sometimes systems of holes join to each other. At exhaustion of food sources around of main hole the family moves (at night or dawn) to other hole, somewhere to the edge of territory. Gradually the centre of territory is actually displaced here that inevitably results to revision of borders between neighbours.

In each hole there is a main chamber where the female with posterity lives, and “throne hall” where the dominant male lives. They are located opposite to each other and between them main burrow with two exits (one of which is disguised outside by dust) passes through. On each side of this pass animals dig out temporary toilet chambers leaving dung there. After filling the chamber is filling up by ground and simultaneously the new chamber is making. This way animals hide their presence from predators.

In holes of armor-headed wart hogs a plenty of “lodgers” settles: butterflies, crickets, numerous fleas (they parasitize in thin wool on throat and stomach of animal). Among vertebrates large tortoises and lizards (hogs simply can to have eaten small reptiles) and also birds and small mammals settle in holes. For protection against parasites wart hogs willingly take dust baths sometimes arranging place for bathing right in heap of ground thrown out from hole.

Family of armor-headed wart hogs goes for feeding at night. At first male appears from hole; he looks, listens and smells around determining whether there is no danger. If all is quiet he walks out and after him female and cubs appear. At night animals go to watering place (if the water source is far some burrows to it are dug allowing to not show itself to superfluous danger at the watering place) and then feed on meadow or under trees. The basic forage of armor-headed wart hogs is grass. But in trees and bushes fructification season they willingly eat drop fruits and berries. Animals willingly eat forage of animal origin: worms and beetle larvae gathering them at hole digging, searching under stones or in rotten wood. Differing in keen sense of smell such pig easily feels presence of larva under thin layer of wood and if it is necessary splits mouldering tree by sharp tusk. If it is possible to find carrion or remains of predator’s catch animals willingly feed with meat.

During feeding armor-headed wart hogs communicate wagging with white hairy brush on the tail tip. Their voices at this time are similar to usual pork grunt. Tail sharply lifted upwards is an alarm signal: having seen such mark animals cease eating and start to smell around trying to find out predator. In case of danger animals squealing shrilly rush to nearest hole trying to keep near it at all. These pigs are fast and maneuverable runners though they can not run long on short legs. At deviation male climbs to the hole at last having turned to predator by head. He loudly roars trying to frighten predator and from time to time makes aggressive lunges trying to strike attacking predator by tusk. Usually after that only a little number of wishing to continue chasing ones may be founded.

Maturity at females comes at two-year-old age, at males little bit later. Young females at the second year of life pair the first time and approximately after three and half months give rise to posterity. The first litter is insignificant: no more than three pigs and usually only two ones. But at the fourth year of life in litter it may be up to five pigs.

Young growth abandons parents shortly before birth of next cubs or right after it. Youngsters first time keep in parental territory using for life old holes - at them tusks are still insufficiently grown. But when the young growth new litter grows up, the dominant male, their daddy, expels all of them from territory. At this time young animals perish in a plenty from predators. But ones managed to find suitable place for life, have an every prospect to live up to old age: the age limit of these animals reaches 15 years.

IMAGE DETAILS Image size 3036x2180px 2.39 MB Make Canon Model CanoScan LiDE 210 Show More

Published : Jan 3, 2011