Common Uganda Warthogs
The Common Uganda warthogs are members of the pig family. Their scientific name is Phacochoerus Africans. Common warthogs only live in Africa (south of Sahara). They live in moist savanna, open plain and grassland. They derive their name from the wart-like bumps on their large long face.
Ecology and social behavior
A warthog has a large, flat head with warts on it. Their gray to black body is bald with some sparse hair and also a thicker mane on their back. They also have two pairs of tusks, a long tail with a tuft at the end and paddles on the knees. Common warthogs are very peaceful animals that avoid confrontations whenever possible. They also weigh between 54 to 113kgs. However, males weigh more than females.
Common Uganda warthogs live in groups of females and her offspring. Male warthogs are usually solitary; they only join a group of females during the mating season. A group of warthogs is a sounder. The mating season is between the end of the rainy season and the start of the dry season. Therefore, the gestation period of the warthog is six months giving birth to 4 piglets. These piglets live with their mother in a sounder.
Common Uganda warthogs are grazers that eat grasses and plants. They also use their snout to dig roots and bulbs from the ground during the dry season. While grazing, common warthogs usually kneel to eat lower grasses. They graze in the morning. They also wallow in the mud to get rid of insects and cool down during the heat of the day. Warthogs sleep and rest in holes that are dug by other animals.
Common Ugandan warthogs look lazy, but they can run up to a speed of 48km/h. At this speed, they usually outrun their predators. Their predators are lions, leopards, wild dogs, and crocodiles. They live up to 15 years in the wild. Also, common warthogs have excellent senses of smell and hearing although they have poor eyesight.
While on a wildlife safari in Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth or Lake Mburo national park, you will see a sounder roaming and grazing in these parks. Therefore book your wildlife safari with Twende Expeditions to have an experience with the common Uganda warthogs.