Visayan Warty Pig

Wild boar of the day: Visayan Warty Pig

Scientifically known as Sus cebifrons, The Visayan warty pig 

is a critically endangered species of pig.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia 

Phylum: Chordata 

Class: Mammalia 

Order: Cetartiodactyla

Suborder: Suiformes

Family: Suidae

Tribe: Suini

Genus: Sus

Endemic to six of the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines, the Visayan warty pig  is threatened by habitat loss, food shortages and hunting – these are the leading causes of the Visayan warty pig's status as critically endangered. Sadly,  it is now extinct on four of the islands.  Due to the small numbers of remaining Visayan warty pigs in the wild, little is known of their behaviors or characteristics outside of captivity. 

Unique physical traits

Head and body length: About 100 cm

Shoulder height: 30-45 cm (females), up to 63 cm (males)

Tail length: 23 cm

Adult weight: 20-35 kg (females), 35-40 kg, up to 80 kg (males)

The Visayan warty pig receives its name from the three pairs of fleshy "warts" present on the visage of the boar. Biologists speculate that the reason for the warts is to assist as a natural defense against the tusks of rival pigs during a fight. The boars also grow stiff spikey hair.

Seasonal breeding

During the tropical dry season between the months of January and March, Visayan warty pig piglets are often seen  in their native habitat of the western Visayan Islands. At birth, Visayan warty pigs are light brown in color, with four dark stripes running down the body from head to tail. These stripes fade as the infants grow, and adult coloration is reached at one year. Per litter, the mean number of piglets is three to four.

Wild boars in captivity

In addition to a few other conservation programs in the Philippines, the Crocolandia Foundation and the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation, Inc., both have this species in captivity. In Europe, nine zoos – the Rotterdam Zoo, Poznan Zoo, Chester Zoo, Belfast Zoo, Edinburgh Zoo, Blackbrook Zoological Park, Děčín Zoo, the Newquay Zoo and the Parken Zoo in Eskilstuna – maintain the Negros Island variety of this species. Moreover, several zoos in the United States also maintain this species. The San Diego Zoo was the first zoo outside the Philippines to keep and breed Visayan Warty Pigs. Elsewhere in North America, zoos in Los Angeles, Portland, Phoenix, Miami, Tampa, Saint Louis, Brevard Zoo, and Boise have also kept the species.

Citation

Oliver, W. (2008). Sus cebifrons. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 5 April 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of critically endangered.