Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Warthog - Ugly Is Beautiful


Signs warning of the presence of Warthog are common along the highway in northern Namibia.


They graze along the highway verges and often cross the road in front of oncoming vehicles - hitting one of them can severely damage a small car or cause death if the driver swerves and loses control.


On my recent visits to Etosha I saw a few groups, (or 'sounders' as they're officialy known), feeding close to waterholes, like the sow and her two babes above.


Warthogs often get down on their front knees to feed on roots and tubers and over time develop callouses. They feed mainly during the day and at night sleep in abandoned antbear holes which they've adjusted to suit their own requirements.


Sounders usually consist of an adult male and female and her offspring of one or two consecutive litters - despite their appearance they seem quite affectionate towards each other and fiercely protect their young.


The warthog's name is derived from the protuberances on their faces, more prominent in the males, as can be seen from the pic above - two below the small beady eyes and two above the snout.

Warthog meat is eaten by humans - I tried it once but didn't like it.



Warthogs love to wallow in mud as can be seen from the white coloring of the animal above, (look at the size of this one's tusks too), - a mud coating assists in protection against biting flies and also plays a role in thermo-regulation.


Despite their ugly appearance warthogs are endearing creatures and even have a trucking company named after them - another warthog on the road to look out for ...

References:
Amy Schoeman - Notes On Nature
RHN Smithers - Land Mammals Of South Africa

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22 comments:

  1. We have wild boar here that do so much damage to the crops that they are hunted regularly. We were given some meat last year which was quite tasty when casseroled for a longish period. It is quite tough roasted.

    While working for the wild life research officer, in Rhodesia as it was then, we had 6 young warthog which escaped from their stable one day. It was hilarious as they all took off down the road by the Prime Minister's house, tails straight up in the air, with half of the staff in chase behind them. We caught 5, the 6th one only was found a week later in someone's garden! LOL. Diane

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  2. I love warthogs! I found a warthog skull on my Uncle's farm and it's now on my desk to remind me where my real home is :) They can cause huge damage to farmland and livestock if the soil above a burrow gives way under a heavy hoof.. but they're hard not to love as they run away from you with little tails in the air like flags!
    I watched a documentary about warthogs a few days ago and was amazed to find out that the callouses you mention on their knees are actually present in the womb - evolution at work!

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  3. Hehehe ... thanks for sharing that story Diane - yeah, they're not easy to catch hey ... :) ... and those tail aerials are too funny, especially when there's a large group of them running ...

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  4. That's interesting about the callouses being present before they're born Kirsty - I was under the impression that they only appeared after awhile ...

    Yeah, nothings as much fun as getting your car stuck in a warthog hole too hey ... :)

    I do hope that you'll return home someday - but I'm sure you will - keep on rubbing that warthog skull ...

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  5. They're one of my favourite 'wild' animals ... although we don't see them as commonly here in East Africa (around campsites, on the road etc) as I've seen them in South Africa. Just love their aerial like tails !

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  6. lol Lynda ... I'm slightly surprised at all the loving comments about warthogs ... and here I was thinking that only their mothers could love them ... :)

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  7. Unfortunately, living in the US I've never seen a warthog, but I'd be thrilled if I did. Here we have deer and wild turkeys crossing the road. The wild turkeys move slowly and are no problem, but the deer cause lots of accidents. They're magnificent creatures, and I always feel sad when I see one lying dead on the side of the road.

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  8. Thanks for your visit and comment Nothing Profound - yes, it's sad, especially when traveling in the early morning, to see all the animals which have been killed by cars the previous night ...

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  9. as the saying goes" a face only a mother could love", it brings out the maternal in us..ugly is beautiful :)

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  10. Hehehe Monica ... yes, you're right, they're so ugly that they're beautiful ... not that I'd like to cuddle-up with one though ... :)

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  11. Lovely post and pictures - the warts explains it all!! Give a high five for the warthogs!

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  12. Lol ... yeah, a high five for the hogs ... thanks Keats ...

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  13. They are ugly but in such a cute way ... I adore them ..... lovely images, Graham!!! This story reminds me the day we were on the sand road to our farm in Magalies and came across a family of them, trotting away in front of us ... next thing they dodged into the veld and weren't seen again .....
    Gena @ Thinking Aloud
    a photoblog
    South Africa

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  14. Hehe ... thank you Gena - yes, they do "trot" hey? ...

    I also have a picture of a booze dispenser made out of a warthog-bum but I thought it would be a bit much to post it here ... hehe on the other hand, maybe I will someday under a post called 'funnies' ...

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  15. That's a great blog title. The warthog certainly is ugly, lol. But in all things there is beauty. Even in the warthog.

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  16. Hehe ... thanks Joyful ... and it's beautiful to see the affection they show each other - the male and female in the pictures were rubbing their faces together like an old loving couple ...

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  17. I've never seen one. They look so strong and are they mean? Thanks for sharing.

    You have a nice blog. Becca

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  18. Thanks for your visit and comment Becca - no, I don't think that they're generally mean-spirited, they seem quite affectionate towards each other but they're ferocious in defense of their young ...

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  19. They resemble so many, I could see horses running across the road, water buffalo playing in the mud, a big rat grazing on the grass. I wonder what family they evolve from. And what birds are those behind them in the field? I really hope these animals could continue to roam free forever.

    Thank you.

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  20. I don't know what their family tree looks like Fazlisa, but those birds in the background are Guineau Fowl ...

    Yes, I too hope that they are able to run free forever ...

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  21. Hi dad,

    great post! Warthogs just happen to be one of my favorite animals! I think they are beautiful.

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  22. Thanks Sasch ... yeah, I also have a soft-spot for the critters ...

    Thanks for the visit and comment - glad you found my blog ...

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