Potamochoerus larvatus (F.Cuvier, 1822)

Shoulder Height

Adult bushpigs (Potamochoerus larvatus) measure 66 to 100 cm (26 to 39 in) at the shoulder.

Adult Weight

Mature boars most commonly weigh 60 to 80 kg (130 to 180 lb), though they can reach up to 150 kg (330 lb), while sows weigh 45 to 70 kg (99 to 154 lb). Males are typically larger than females.

General Appearance

They resemble domestic pigs, and can be distinguished by their pointed, tufted ears and a distinctive face marking pattern called a face mask.

Geographic Color Variation

Hair and skin color varies across the species' range: southern koiropotamus and nyasae populations are dark reddish, sometimes nearly black.

Age-Related Coat Darkening

Coat color darkens as individuals age.

Face Markings

The face mask has a contrasting pattern of blackish to dark brown and white to dark grey markings, and may occasionally be entirely whitish.

Ear and Tusk Features

The ears have tassels of long hair, and their very sharp tusks are fairly short and not easily visible.

Tail Posture When Running

Unlike warthogs, bushpigs run with their long, thin tails held down.

Snout Warts

Old males develop two warts on their snout.

Juvenile Coat Pattern

Newborn piglets have pale yellowish longitudinal stripes over a dark brown base; these stripes fade quickly, and the coat becomes reddish brown, with a black and white dorsal crest present in both sexes.

Dorsal Crest Behavior

This mane bristles when the animal is agitated.

Continental Distribution

This species has a wide distribution: it occurs from Ethiopia and Somalia in the north, south to southeastern DR Congo, and continues south through the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa, where it is mostly found in areas around Johannesburg and along the entire southern coast of the country. It also inhabits Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Island Distribution

Bushpigs also live on Madagascar, and possibly other islands in the Comoros archipelago.

Island Colonization Hypothesis

It is unknown how the species reached these islands, though it was likely transported there by humans, possibly after a short period of domestication.

Hybridization Records

Numerous hybrids between bushpigs and domestic pig breeds have been reported.

Range Expansion in Botswana

The bushpig's range in Botswana expanded during the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Northern Range Contraction

In 1993, researchers speculated that the species' northern range has shrunk due to sahelisation, and the species is uncommon in Burundi.

Habitat Requirements

The main habitat requirement for bushpigs is dense cover, and they avoid open forests or savannas.

Habitat Types and Altitude

They can be found in tall forests, montane forests, forest fringes, thick bushveld, gallery forests, flooded forest, swampland, or cultivated areas, and occur up to 4,000 metres in altitude on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Social Group Structure

Bushpigs are fairly social animals, and live in groups called sounders that can have up to twelve members, with group sizes of three to five being most common. A typical sounder is made up of a dominant male, a dominant female, and the rest of the group consists of other females and juveniles.

Interspecies Interactions

When different groups encounter each other, they engage in ritual aggressive behavior, but will fight over large food sources.

Home Range Territoriality

Sounders have home ranges, are not territorial, and overlapping home ranges are common. Groups generally stay away from one another, and all intruders near the sounder, including non-bushpigs, are attacked.

Home Range Size

Home ranges are 400 to 1,000 hectares; the average home range in the Knysna forest region was 720 hectares.

Solitary Individuals

Almost half of the bushpig population are solitary wandering individuals.

Bachelor Group Behavior

Small bachelor groups of young males also form, with ranges that overlap the ranges of several sounders, and young males avoid sounders to prevent confrontation.

Litter Size

Litters have one to nine young, with three being most common.

Gestation Period

The full period from mating to the end of gestation lasts eight to ten months.

Juvenile Dispersal

When young males reach six months of age, the alpha sow will aggressively chase them away; she also does this to some one to two year old beta sows.

Male Maturity Age

Young males reach social maturity at 30 months of age.

Mating Season

Mating occurs mostly in late autumn to early winter.

Farrowing Period

Farrowing can happen at any time of year, but there is a clear peak in the warmest part of summer, which falls between October and February in South Africa.

Nest Construction

The alpha sow builds a nest three metres wide and one metre high during winter, using stacked hay, twigs, or flood-borne plant debris as bedding.

Weaning Period

She keeps the litter of piglets in this nest for approximately four months while they wean.

Parental Care

Males are the main caregivers for the piglets, and sows only visit the nest to nurse the young. Sows have six teats.

Vocalizations

When foraging or alarmed, bushpigs snort and grunt harshly.

Activity Pattern

They are primarily nocturnal, and hide in very dense thickets during the day.

Shelter Behavior

They never use aardvark burrows for shelter.

Predation and Population Effects

Leopards are their main predator, and efforts to control leopard populations have led to an increase in bushpig numbers.