Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) male. This relative of the pig lives on the savannahs and plains of sub-Saharan Africa. It prefers to be near to a water source,which it uses for wallowing as well as drinking. It lives in small family groups,usually spending the hottest parts of the day under vegetation or in its den,which it adapts from an old aardvark burrow. The warthog is mainly herbivorous,feeding on grasses,roots,tubers and bulbs,but it will occasionally eat carrion. The sharp tusks are found in both males and females,and are used to defend against predators. Photographed in Lapalala Wilderness reserve,South Africa |