Page 61 - World of Animals - Issue #39

Pigs of the world

Giant forest hog
The biggest pigs on the planet
Giant forest hogs are aptly named, given that they
are the largest wild pigs in the world. They can be
found in west and central Africa, where they live
in forests and humid highlands. Although they are
large and aggressive enough to chase away hyenas,
they occasionally fall victim to attacks from larger
predators such as leopards.

Peccaries are found throughout
Central and South America, as
well as in southern parts of the
United States

Peccary

Bushpig
There’s more to these unassuming American pigs than meets the eye Powerful pigs with an appetite for destruction
They might resemble domestic pigs, but bushpigs
Although they closely resemble the other pigs on World pigs, from the Suidae family, is their tusks. are a farmer’s worst nightmare. These African hogs
these pages, peccaries belong to a different animal While pigs such as wild boars and babirusas cause havoc in agricultural areas, cutting down crops
family: Tayassuidae, or New World pigs. They are have long tusks that curve backwards, the ones like sugar cane and banana trees with their sharp
canines, while also upturning root vegetables like
found in North, Central and South America, living found on peccaries are short and straight. When sweet potatoes and carrots. Adding insult to injury,
in sociable herds of up to 100 members. One of in danger, the peccary rubs its tusks together to bushpigs only eat a few of the crops, trampling the
the main differences between peccaries and Old alarm predators with a chattering sound. rest with their powerful hooves.

Babirusa Babirusas are found in the
Indonesian islands of Sulawesi,
The toothiest pig Togian, Buru and Sulu
in the paddock

Many pigs have impressive tusks,
but the male babirusa’s are out of
control. These primitive-looking
pigs have enormous upper canines
that grow vertically upwards,
piercing through the roof of the
mouth and curving back towards
the forehead. Babirusas must
therefore grind down their tusks
regularly to avoid penetrating their
own skulls.
The purpose of this gruesome
adaptation is still a mystery. While
you might assume that the tusks
are used as weapons, the pigs
tend to only use their hooves in
combat. Whatever their purpose,
it is likely that the babirusa’s other
name – ‘pig-deer’ – derives from
the antler-like appearance of those ABOVE The word babirusa translates
as ‘pig-deer’ and these pigs can
ungainly canines. actually run just as fast as a deer

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