Page 63 - World of Animals - Issue #39

Pigs of the world

Red river hog
The vibrant and vocal forest dweller
With striking orange fur, contrasting black legs and
accenting white markings, red river hogs are the
most colourful pigs. They live primarily in rainforests,
particularly favouring habitats near swamps or rivers.
Living in groups, they constantly communicate via a
series of grunts and squeals, conveying messages
that range from casual greetings to alarm signals.

Javan warty pig
Uncommon ungulates threatened by humans
Like the warty pigs of the Philippines, Javan
warty pigs are exceedingly rare, and have been
classed as endangered on the IUCN red list. Habitat
encroachment by humans is the biggest threat to
this species – their forested homes are gradually
being replaced with agriculture, and many are shot by
farmers who discover the pigs eating their crops.

Visayan warty pigs are found in
the Philippines

ABOVE
Visayan warty Pygmy hog
pigs are born with The littlest pig needs a boost in numbers
stripes, but these Pygmy hogs belong to their own unique evolutionary
disappear as they branch, Porcula. Sadly, they are also critically
grow older endangered. These tiny swine are o‚en overlooked
due to a lack of public support – they live in India,
where schemes to protect iconic endangered animals
Visayan warty pig by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme aims to
like tigers and rhinos receive the most funding. Work
secure a future for these enigmatic pigs.
It’s not just pandas and orangutans that need our help.
These wild pigs are in desperate need of conservation too

The Visayan warty pig is one of four varieties become extinct on four of those. Habitat loss and
of endemic pig found in the Philippines. These hunting are the two main causes for its decline.
critically endangered mammals are among the Boars from this species can be distinguished as
rarest wild pigs in the world, with an estimated they have three pairs of wart-like protrusions lining
200 individuals remaining in the wild. their snouts. They also grow a distinctive spiky
While the Visayan warty pig was originally hairstyle during breeding season, which helps
found on six islands in the Philippines, it has since them to catch the attention of females. Bornean bearded pig
Athletic animals with a fondness for facial hair © Alamy; NaturePL; Shutterstock; Thinkstock; freevectormaps.com
Rather than having hairs on its chin, the Bornean
“These critically endangered mammals are bearded pig grows fuzz on its elongated snout. These
sociable ungulates live in families and migrate in
among the rarest wild pigs in the world, with an large groups, travelling hundreds of miles in search of
food. They have a mostly vegetarian diet that includes
estimated 200 individuals remaining in the wild” fruits, roots and fungi, which might explain why
Bornean bearded pigs are the slimmest swine.

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