---
title: "What the sources say about the Common Warthog | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "34 claims from the Common Warthog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Common Warthog (*Phacochoerus africanus*)

> 34 claims from the Common Warthog profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Common Warthog](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/common-warthog/)

## Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phacochoerus_africanus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Kneels on calloused, padded wrist joints to graze short grass, then backs into a borrowed aardvark burrow, tusks facing out. | Warthogs commonly utilize aardvark holes for sleeping at night. ... They are specialized for grazing short grasses by being able to lower themselves close to the ground on their wrist joints, which are calloused and padded. (note: superpower stat; fragments reordered to match their order in the ADW page; backing in with tusks facing out is the sdz-warthog burrow claim ('They usually back into the burrow, so they can use their sharp tusks to scare off any animal that bothers them')) |
| Open and wooded savanna, grass-steppe and semi-desert across Sub-Saharan Africa, from Mauritania to Ethiopia south to Namibia and eastern South Africa | Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) are found outside forested areas in Africa, from Mauritania to Ethiopia and south to Namibia and eastern South Africa. ... Common warthogs are found in open and wooded savannas, grass-steppes, and semi-deserts in Africa. |
| Mostly grass, plus roots, berries, young tree bark, rhizomes and bulbs dug up with snout and tusks, and occasionally carrion | Common warthogs are primarily grazers but also feed on roots, berries, bark of young trees, and occassionaly carrion. ... Common warthogs use their snouts and tusks to excavate rhizomes and bulbs. |
| It measures 90 to 150 centimeters from head to rump, stands 63.5 to 85 centimeters at the shoulder, and weighs 50 to 150 kilograms, with females 15 to 20 percent lighter than males. | Common warthogs weigh 50 to 150 kg with females being 15 to 20 percent lighter than males. Head and body length is 900 to 1500 mm. Shoulder height ranges from 635 to 850 mm. (note: reviewer moved size to ADW: the SDZ page covers two species (P. africanus and P. aethiopicus), so its SIZE box is genus scope; ADW's figures are for P. africanus) |
| Large upper tusks, a lower pair and three pairs of facial warts give the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) a brawler's face. | Common warthogs have large upper tusks that are 255 to 635 mm long in males and 152 to 255 mm long in females. ... warthogs have three pairs of facial warts (note: 'a lower pair' is the lower tusks in the next claim ('The more dangerous lower tusks'); 'a brawler's face' is a figure of speech) |
| A male's upper tusks run 25.5 to 63.5 centimeters, a female's 15.2 to 25.5. The lower tusks are the more dangerous pair. | Common warthogs have large upper tusks that are 255 to 635 mm long in males and 152 to 255 mm long in females. ... The more dangerous lower tusks are rarely used, and injuries or fatalities are rare. (note: SDZ's 25-30 cm upper / 13 cm lower is unsexed and genus scope (the page covers P. africanus and P. aethiopicus); ADW gives sexed species ranges, stated as ranges not records) |
| To graze short grass, a warthog lowers itself onto the calloused, padded wrist joints of its front legs, and it will even shuffle along in that kneeling position. | They are specialized for grazing short grasses by being able to lower themselves close to the ground on their wrist joints, which are calloused and padded. (note: 'front legs' and the shuffling are sdz-warthog: "Warthogs often kneel down on their front legs ... They even shuffle along in the kneeling position if there are plenty of tasty things in the area." The unsourced 'neck is short' and 'pig equivalent of a knee' were cut) |
| It digs up rhizomes and bulbs with its snout and tusks, and it also eats roots, berries, the bark of young trees and occasionally carrion. | Common warthogs are primarily grazers but also feed on roots, berries, bark of young trees, and occassionaly carrion. ... Common warthogs use their snouts and tusks to excavate rhizomes and bulbs. ... Common warthogs eat their own dung and the dung of rhinoceroses, African buffalos, waterbucks, and francolins. |
| During drought, those same bulbs and rhizomes may double as a source of water. | Rhizomes and bulbs may also provide water for common warthogs during periods of drought. |
| Common warthogs range across open and wooded savanna, grass-steppe and semi-desert from Mauritania to Ethiopia and south to Namibia and eastern South Africa, avoiding rainforest and severe desert. | Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) are found outside forested areas in Africa, from Mauritania to Ethiopia and south to Namibia and eastern South Africa. ... Common warthogs are found in open and wooded savannas, grass-steppes, and semi-deserts in Africa. Common warthogs prefer open areas and avoid rainforest and severe desert. |
| Females do, except when pregnant. Animal Diversity Web says common warthogs live in family groups called soundings, usually females and their young, of up to 18 members. Males usually leave after 2 years of age and live alone or in bachelor groups, and adult males join the females briefly to mate. | Adult males are usually solitary and join female groups briefly for mating. ... Common warthogs live in family groups called soundings. A sounding usually consists of females and their young. Males usually disperse after 2 years of age and become solitary or form bachelor groups. Females stay in a sounding except when they are pregnant. Soundings can consist of up to 18 members. (note: SDZ's 'groups of up to 40' is genus scope (its page covers P. africanus and P. aethiopicus); ADW gives the species figure; fragments ordered as on the ADW page (Reproduction before Behavior)) |
| Yes. Animal Diversity Web records common warthogs eating their own droppings, plus the dung of rhinoceroses, African buffalo and waterbuck. | Common warthogs eat their own dung and the dung of rhinoceroses, African buffalos, waterbucks, and francolins. |
| In the wild, Animal Diversity Web puts a typical lifespan at 7 to 11 years. | Typical lifespan Status: wild 7 to 11 years |
| and Animal Diversity Web says they are rarely used in fights between males. | Fighting involves pushing and striking with the head and blunt upper tusks. The more dangerous lower tusks are rarely used, and injuries or fatalities are rare. |
| Animal Diversity Web calls lions the predominant predators and says warthogs usually avoid attack by fleeing. | The predominant predators of common warthogs are lions ... They are fast runners and usually avoid attack by fleeing. |
| They avoid nocturnal predators by being active during the day and sheltering in burrows at night. | Common warthogs avoid nocturnal predators by being active during the day and sheltering in burrows at night. |
| they use the warning calls of red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers to avoid predators. | They also use the warning calls of red-billed and yellow-billed oxpeckers to avoid predators. |
| Where people disturb them, warthogs often become more active at night. | In areas with human disturbance, warthogs often become more active nocturnaly. |
| A warthog has no subcutaneous fat and a sparse coat, which leaves it susceptible to extreme temperatures. | Common warthogs do not have subcutaneous fat and the coat is sparse, making them suceptible to extreme environmental temperatures. |
| tags: omnivore | Primary Diet omnivore |
| tags: burrowing | Common warthogs use their snouts and tusks to excavate rhizomes and bulbs. |

## Warthog. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/warthog

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Tusked survivor that usually backs into a borrowed aardvark burrow, so its tusks face whatever comes calling. | Instead of digging their own burrows, they find abandoned aardvark holes or natural burrows for homes. ... They usually back into the burrow, so they can use their sharp tusks to scare off any animal that bothers them. (note: tagline; reviewer dropped 'tail-up' (the source raises the tail when running, not when backing in) and moved the ref to the source that states the backing-in) |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says a warthog's facial warts are "just thick growths of skin" that "don't have any bones or cartilage." | A warthog's "warts" are not really warts, but just thick growths of skin. Even though the growths stick out, they don't have any bones or cartilage. (note: current SDZ page overrides the profile's old claim, sourced only to a 2005 ADW page, that the warts are cartilage; see report) |
| Rival boars ram heads and blunt upper tusks together at mating time, and the warts act as pads to cushion the blows so the fighters "rarely injure each other." | The boars push and ram each other with their heads and their blunt upper tusks to see which is the most powerful. ... The warts act as pads to cushion the blows, so they rarely injure each other. |
| A running warthog holds its tail up, bushy tip hanging down, a signal that "may serve as a warning to other warthogs if danger is near." | When they walk, their tail hangs down, but when they run, their tail sticks up, with the bushy tip hanging down. This may serve as a warning to other warthogs if danger is near. (note: SDZ page is genus scope; adw-warthog states the same for P. africanus: "A common warthogs, when alarmed, run with its tail upright as an alarm for conspecifics.") |
| Instead of digging its own den, it moves into an abandoned aardvark hole or a natural burrow, usually backing in so its sharp tusks face the doorway and can "scare off any animal that bothers them." | Instead of digging their own burrows, they find abandoned aardvark holes or natural burrows for homes. ... They usually back into the burrow, so they can use their sharp tusks to scare off any animal that bothers them. (note: the aardvark-burrow detail is also stated by adw-warthog: "Warthogs commonly utilize aardvark holes for sleeping at night.") |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, whose page covers both warthog species, names lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, painted dogs and eagles as predators and puts a fleeing warthog at up to 55 kilometers an hour. | Lions, cheetahs, leopards, painted dogs, hyenas, and eagles all like to snack on a warthog when they get a chance. ... This allows them to run away from these potential predators, reaching speeds of up to 34 miles (55 kilometers) per hour. (note: reviewer rescoped: the SDZ page covers P. africanus and P. aethiopicus, so the predator list and the 55 km/h speed are genus scope and now say so; ADW's species-scope Known Predators list is lions, leopards and cheetah) |
| With grunting. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says a boar performs a courtship "chant" of rhythmic grunts that sounds like an engine in need of a tune-up. | When a male warthog wants to attract a female, he does a courtship “chant” of rhythmic grunts that sounds like an engine in need of a tune-up. |
| Burrows protect it from temperature extremes, and it will even raise its young in one. | This is where they raise their young, sleep, and hide from predators. ... Burrows also protect them from temperature extremes. |
| dangerLevel: Medium | They usually back into the burrow, so they can use their sharp tusks to scare off any animal that bothers them. |
| Warthogs have to dash out of the burrow at top speed in case a predator is waiting | When they leave their burrow, they must dash out at top speed in case any predators are waiting for them! |
| can reach 55 km/h | reaching speeds of up to 34 miles (55 kilometers) per hour |

## Jong et al. (2016). Phacochoerus africanus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41768A109669842.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2016-2.rlts.t41768a44140445.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Phacochoerus africanus (J.F. Gmelin, 1788), IUCN taxon 41768. (note: conservationStatus stat; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List, as source-text/3f93a3f3520d8749.txt records; the assessment DOI is cited, not the GBIF API URL) |

## Phacochoerus africanus (Wart hog). AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Phacochoerus_africanus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| AnAge lists one captive warthog that reached 30. | Maximum longevity 30 years (captivity) ... One captive specimen lived for 30 years |