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Phacochoerus is a genus in the family Suidae, Commonly known as Warthog (pronounced wart-hog). The two species were formerly considered conspecific under the scientific name Phacochoerus Aethiopicus, but today this is limited to the desert Warthog, while the best-known and most widespread species, the Common Warthog (or simply Warthog), is Phacochoerus Africanus. Warthog travel in groups called sounders consisting of 1 or 2 sows and young offspring. Males usually travel alone.
The Common Warthog is a medium-sized species, with a head-and-body length ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 m (2 ft 11 in to 4 ft 11 in), and shoulder height from 63.5 to 85 cm (25.0 to 33.5 in). Females, at 45 to 75 kg (99 to 165 lb), are smaller and lighter than males, at 60 to 150 kg (130 to 330 lb). A Warthog is identifiable by the two pairs of tusks protruding from the mouth and curving upwards. The lower pair, which is far shorter than the upper pair, becomes razor-sharp by rubbing against the upper pair every time the mouth is opened and closed. The upper canine teeth can grow to 25.5 cm (10.0 in) long and have a wide elliptical cross section, being about 4.5 cm (1.8 in) deep and 2.5 cm (0.98 in) wide. A tusk will curve 90° or more from the root, and will not lie flat on a table, as it curves somewhat backwards as it grows. The tusks are not used for digging, but are used for combat with other hogs and in defence against predators – the lower set can inflict severe wounds.
Common Warthog ivory is taken from the constantly growing canine teeth. The tusks, particularly the upper set, work in much the same way as Elephant tusks with all designs scaled down. Tusks are carved predominantly for the tourist trade in eastern and southern Africa.
The head of the Common Warthog is large, with a mane down the spine to the middle of the back. Sparse hair covers the body. Its colour is usually black or brown. Tails are long and end with a tuft of hair. Common Warthog do not have subcutaneous fat and the coat is sparse, making them susceptible to extreme environmental temperatures.
The Common Warthog is the only pig species that has adapted to grazing and savannah habitats. Its diet is omnivorous, composed of grasses, roots, berries and other fruits, bark, fungi, insects, eggs and carrion. The diet is seasonably variable, depending on availability of different food items. During the wet seasons, Warthog graze on short perennial grasses. During the dry seasons, they subsist on bulbs, rhizomes, and nutritious roots.
Warthog are powerful diggers, using both their snouts and feet. When feeding, they often bend their front feet backwards and move around on the wrists. Calloused pads that protect the wrists during such movement form early in the development of the foetus. Although they can dig their own burrows, they often occupy abandoned burrows of Aardvark and other animals. The Common Warthog Commonly reverses into burrows, with its head facing the opening and ready to burst out if necessary. Common Warthog will wallow in mud to cope with high temperatures and huddle together to cope with low temperatures.
Although capable of fighting (males fight each other during mating season), the Common Warthog’s primary defence is to flee by means of fast sprinting. When threatened, Warthog can run at speeds of up to 48 km/h (30 mph), they will run with their tails sticking up and will enter their dens rear first with tusks facing out. The Common Warthog’s main predators are humans, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Crocodile, Wild Dog and Hyena. Birds of prey such as Verreaux Eagle Owl and Martial Eagle sometimes prey on piglets. However, a female Common Warthog will defend her piglets aggressively. On occasion, Common Warthog have been observed charging and even wounding large predators. Common Warthog have also been observed allowing Banded Mongoose and Vervet Monkey to groom them to remove ticks.
Common Warthog are not territorial, but instead occupy a home range. Females live in sounders with their young and with other females. Females tend to stay in their natal groups, while males leave, but stay within the home range. Subadult males associate in bachelor groups, but males live alone when they become adults. Adult males only join sounders with oestrous females. Warthog have two facial glands: the tusk gland and the sebaceous gland. Common Warthog of both sexes begin to mark around six to seven months old. Males tend to mark more than females. They mark sleeping and feeding areas and waterholes. Common Warthog use tusk marking for courtship, for antagonistic behaviours and to establish status.
Common Warthog are seasonal breeders. Rutting begins in the late rainy or early dry season and birthing begins near the start of the following rainy season. The mating system is described as “overlap promiscuity”: the males have ranges overlapping several female ranges, and the daily behaviour of the female is unpredictable. Boars employ two mating strategies during the rut. With the “staying tactic”, a boar will stay and defend certain females or a resource valuable to them. In the “roaming tactic”, boars seek out oestrous sows and compete for them. Boars will wait for sows to emerge from their burrows. A dominant boar will displace any other boar that also tries to court his female. When a sow leaves her den, the boar will try to demonstrate his dominance and then follow her before copulation. For the “staying tactic”, monogamy, female-defence polygyny, or resource-defence polygyny is promoted, while the “roaming tactic” promotes scramble-competition polygyny.
The typical gestation period is five to six months. When they are about to give birth, sows temporarily leave their families to farrow in a separate hole. The litter is two to eight piglets, with two to four typical. The sow will stay in the burrow for several weeks, nursing her piglets. Common Warthog sows have been observed to nurse foster piglets if they lose their own litter. This behaviour, known as allosucking, makes them cooperative breeders. Allosucking does not seem to be a case of mistaken identity or milk theft, and may be a sign of kin altruism. Piglets begin grazing at about two to three weeks and are weaned by six months. Piglets quickly attain mobility and stay close to their mothers for defence. Common Warthog live for an average of 7 to 11 years in the wild. Captive specimens on the other hand can live for an average of 21 years.
They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring in scattered populations in West Africa eastwards to Eritrea and Ethiopia, southward through eastern Africa, and over much of southern Africa to southern Angola, Botswana, and Mozambique to northeast South Africa.
Warthog taxidermy is the art of preserving the Warthog skin and other body parts to produce lifelike sculptures for display, either at home as a hunting trophy or in museums for educational purposes. Skin is preserved and mounted on an artificial armature to display the specimen.
The contemporary English word “taxidermy” is derived from the Greek terms taxis, meaning “movement,” and derma, meaning “skin,” thereby combining these two meanings. This is why, in a broad sense, taxidermy is synonymous with “the motion of skin.”
For expert taxidermists, skills in sculpture, painting, and sketching are just as important as those in carpentry, woodworking, tanning, moulding, and casting.
The remaining parts of the body are synthetic replacements for real organs and tissues. Polyurethane foam is used for the manikin or form, which includes the anatomy of every muscle and vein; glass is used for the eyes; clay is used for the eyelids; for the nose and mouth the foam of the mannequin is sculptured.
Works of taxidermy can be found in a wide range of environments, including museums, classrooms, galleries, stores, restaurants, and private households, due to the complexity and delicate craftsmanship involved in the taxidermy process.
Thorough preparation is the key factor to ensuring a high-quality final product. All hides are tanned and oiled using the world’s very best available chemicals and processes to ensure permanence and longevity. Forms are selected to ensure the best fit and posture will be altered to suit you, the client’s preference without additional cost. Natural habitat bases are custom-made for full mount trophies without additional cost. Only the finest materials and 40 years of professional experience are used in defining your trophies in a whole new way. The final trophies are almost Life-Formed. When the restoration is required, every effort is made to repair cuts and abrasions, and to minimise bullet damage. Natural scarring is kept unless otherwise requested.
The Warthog is an extremely prized trophy among hunters. They occur widely throughout Southern Africa. When hunting Warthog in South Africa, scout the open regions near water. They will typically seek shade among the trees and bushes.
Be decisive with your shot placement and pick a calibre with good impact power. When injured, Warthog have a tendency to dive headfirst into the nearest hole, making extraction quite challenging.
At all costs, avoid shooting the head or neck. The resulting cavities are tricky to conceal. Use full metal jacketed bullets (solids) against small animals.
When making an Warthog mount, careful planning is key to getting a high-quality result. When tanning and oiling the skins, only the best chemicals and methods are used. This ensures that the skins will last for many years.
Your preferred form for the Warthog will be chosen after taking your measurements into account, and the posture of your form will be changed at no extra cost. Full-mount Warthog trophies come with bases made to look like the animal’s natural habitat and made just for the Warthog mount.
The taxidermy process at Life-Form takes your prized Warthog trophy and gives it a whole new meaning by using only the best materials and drawing on more than 40 years of experience in the field.
When repair is needed, every effort is made to fix cuts and scrapes and lessen bullet damage. Existing scars are left alone unless the client asks for them to be taken away.
Using the helpful tips below, it’s important to take extra care of your prized Warthog trophy to make sure it stays in perfect shape for years to come.
The pricing of any trophy is subject to the costing stipulated per taxidermy order, quantity of trophies and preferred mounting options, along with additional requirements.
Should you wish to receive a quotation prior to the hunt, the taxidermist can generate such for you. Please contact [email protected]
Taxidermy is an art form that involves a complicated step-by-step process to make sure that each trophy looks just right and is of a high enough quality that it will last your whole life.
The time it takes a taxidermist to mount an animal might range from days to weeks, and possibly several months, depending on the quantity of trophies per taxidermy order, the display preferences, and volumes of client trophies to be produced, simultaneously, per production schedule.
This depends largely on the “what, how, when” factors. A taxidermy order also only becomes available for production scheduling upon receipt of the required deposit and trophy mounting instructions.
