Where does the common warthog live?
The common warthog lives across much of sub-Saharan Africa, in grassland, savanna and woodland. It can dig its own burrow, but often uses ones abandoned by aardvarks or other animals. It backs into them, head facing the entrance, ready to burst out if needed. It does not defend a territory, but occupies a home range.
What does the common warthog eat?
It is the only pig that has adapted to grazing in savannas. Its diet is omnivorous: grasses, roots, berries and other fruit, bark, fungi, dung, insects, eggs and carrion, depending on the season. In the wet seasons it grazes on short perennial grasses, and it often bends its front feet backwards to move around on its wrists. It lives in groups called sounders, and is recognisable by its two pairs of upward-curving tusks, the upper ones growing up to 25.5 cm.
Is the common warthog endangered?
No: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is, however, susceptible to drought and hunting, especially with dogs, which can cause local extinctions.
