warthog

/wawrt"hawg', -hog'/, n.

an African wild swine, Phacochoerus aethiopicus, having large tusks and warty protuberances on the face.

[1830-40; WART + HOG]

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Large-headed species (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) of pig (ungulate family Suidae), inhabiting open and lightly forested areas of Africa.

Warthogs, about 30 in. (76 cm) high, are blackish or brown, with a coarse mane from the neck to the midback. The male has two pairs of bumps (warts) on the face. Both sexes have tusks. The tusks on the lower jaw are weapons; those on the upper jaw curve upward and inward in a semicircle, growing to more than 24 in. (60 cm) in some males. The long tufted tail is held high when the animal runs. Warthogs live in groups, feeding on grass and other vegetation.

Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus)

Karl H. Maslowski

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▪ mammal

 (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), member of the pig family, Suidae (order Artiodactyla), found in open and lightly forested areas of Africa. The warthog is a sparsely haired, large-headed, blackish or brown animal standing about 76 centimetres (30 inches) at the shoulder. It has a coarse mane extending from the neck to the middle of the back, and it has a long, thin, tufted tail that it carries high while it is running. The male has two pairs of bumps, or warts, on the face. Both sexes bear tusks; those of the lower jaw form sharp weapons, and those of the upper jaw curve upward and inward in a semicircle, attaining a length of more than 60 cm in some males.

      The warthog is a gregarious animal that feeds on grass and other vegetation. It often shelters in enlarged aardvark burrows, which it enters backward so as to be able to defend itself.

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