Warthog Facts

About the warthog

Common warthogs roam grassland, savanna and woodland across sub-Saharan Africa, and they are the only pigs adapted to grazing savanna life. Head and body measure 0.9 to 1.5 m, and shoulder height is 63.5 to 85 cm. Males weigh 60 to 150 kg, while females are lighter at 45 to 75 kg. A mane runs down the spine, but the rest of the coat is thin and there is no fat under the skin, so heat and cold hit them hard.

The upper tusks can grow to 25.5 cm, and the shorter lower pair is honed razor-sharp each time the jaw closes. Warthogs use them for fighting and defense, not digging. For digging they rely on snout and feet, often kneeling on their wrists while they feed. Grass dominates in wet seasons, while dry months mean bulbs, roots and rhizomes.

Did you know?

• A warthog tusk can curve 90 degrees or more and won't sit flat on a table.
• The name Phacochoerus aethiopicus now belongs only to the desert warthog, found in Somalia, eastern Ethiopia and northern Kenya.
• Their varied diet even includes bark, fungi, eggs and carrion.