Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Species: Phacochoerus aethiopicus
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Population trend: decreasing
Distribution: central, eastern and southern Africa, south of the Sahara, and even the Sahel - a very dry region of the Sahara.
Habitat: open scrubland
Life-span: unknown in the wild. 12 years in captivity.
Food: mainly grasses, but also fruits, tubers, herbs and bulbs. Sometimes carrion. Sexual Maturity: 18 months
Gestation: 171-175 days Number of young: 3 to 4
Size: height: 75cm to shoulder. Length: head and body 120-150cm, tail: 45cm. Weight: 60-120kg.
Description: long legs and short neck. Males have long manes. Both sexes have prominent tusks and two warts on either side of the face. These are more obvious in males and it is believed that this is a means of distinguishing the sexes. Horny pads on the knees of forelegs. Long, tasselled tail.
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