QUIRKY, funny, charismatic, ugly, beautiful, lovable, plucky… there are many words to describe warthog yet none of them seem quite enough to capture the essence of these comical animals.
Latin Name: Phacochoerus africanus
Afrikaans name: Vlakvark
Distribution
Widely distributed in almost all of southern Africa’s countries, warthog are now found throughout South Africa as their numbers seem to be on the increase and their range expands. In some areas they are welcomed as they can be a good source of income on game farms but, in other areas, they are considered a pest as they dig under and damage fences which can lead to stock losses for farmers.
Habitat
Warthogs are normally associated with open woodland, floodplains, vleis and open areas around waterholes and pans.
Warthogs sleep in holes in the ground left by antbears and other creatures or in water pipes, culverts, etc. They don’t dig the burrows themselves and, as they are not territorial, their use of holes tends to be opportunistic. They usually enter the holes