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 | |
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]
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]
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
| 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 |
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 |
The common warthog is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P. aethiopicus, but today that scientific name is restricted to the desert warthog of northern Kenya, Somalia, and eastern Ethiopia.
Erythrocebus is a genus of Old World monkey. All three species in this genus are found in Africa, and are known as patas monkeys. While previously considered a monotypic genus containing just E. patas, a 2017 review argued that, based on morphological evidence and heavy geographic separation between taxa, E. patas should be split back into distinct species as recognised in the 19th century.
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Duthie's golden mole is a species of mammal in the family Chrysochloridae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, temperate grassland, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban area. The specific name duthieae was given in honour of Dr. Augusta Vera Duthie, a South African botanist.
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The desert warthog is a species of even-toed ungulate in the pig family (Suidae), found in northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali warthog. Another subspecies, commonly known as the Cape warthog, became extinct around 1865, but formerly occurred in South Africa.
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