Biology
provided by Arkive
Philippine warty pigs may be seen singly, in pairs during the breeding season, or in groups of 7 to 12, consisting of a boar, several sows and young pigs. Although most active at night, they may also move around during the day. They feed on the roots, leaves and tubers of grasses and other plants, using their mobile snouts to plough the ground for such food (2).
Female Philippine warty pigs make nests in which to give birth, situated in carefully selected, concealed areas such as between the buttresses of giant trees surrounded by dense bushes (2). Litters average four to five piglets, but as many as eight may be born in a single litter (3).
Wild pigs are normally shy and retiring but can be dangerous when cornered and will vigorously defend themselves in such a situation. Females in particular can be highly defensive when protecting their young, and will attack potential predators, including people, if threatened (2) (3).
Conservation
provided by Arkive
The Philippine warty pig is technically fully protected by Philippine law, though there is little or effective enforcement of the relevant legislation in most areas (3). On the larger islands of the Philippines, such as Luzon and Mindanao, the warty pig occurs in all the principle national parks, although most of these protected areas also exist solely on paper. A number of such parks are known to have been virtually deforested (8), and illegal logging and hunting continues in many other areas (3).
To improve this vulnerable pig's situation, programmes to educate local people and to alter their negative attitudes towards wild pigs have been recommended. Further research into its exact distribution, status, and biology has also been suggested (8), which will help inform any conservation or management plan for the Philippine warty pig.
Description
provided by Arkive
The robustly built Philippine warty pig has a coarse, bristly, blackish coat with a scattering of silvery white hairs on the sides. Long, stiff hairs form a crest running down the middle of the back (2), which is particularly conspicuous in males during the breeding season when if forms a prominent mane over the head crest and neck (2) (3). The medium-length tail has a tuft of long, black hairs at the tip (2) (3), used to swat away flies and signal mood (4). The Philippine warty pig has a long snout, terminating in a flat, mobile disc with the nostrils in the centre (2). The teeth are well-developed, with the large upper and lower canines forming laterally and upwardly protruding tusks in males (3). It has relatively small eyes and ears, and its narrow feet have four toes, but only the two central toes are used for walking (2).
Habitat
provided by Arkive
The Philippine warty pig inhabits grasslands, forest and areas of parang, from sea level to the mountains (2).
Range
provided by Arkive
Endemic to the Philippines, where it occurs as two currently recognised subspecies. Sus philippensis philippinesis is found on the northern islands of Luzon, Polillo, Catanduanes and Marinduque, while Sus philippensis mindanensis occurs on the east-central islands of Samar, Biliran, Leyte, Bohol, and the southern islands of Camiguin Sul, Mindanao and Basilan (5) (6) (7).
Status
provided by Arkive
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1).
Threats
provided by Arkive
Philippine warty pigs survive in most of the remaining forested areas on the larger islands of the Philippines (8), but intense hunting pressure for its meat and extreme levels of deforestation have resulted in it disappearing from large areas of its historical range, and continue to threaten the remaining populations (1) (2) (8). These threats are being amplified by the rapidly growing human population in the Philippines (1), and illegal clearance of forest for agriculture; the latter also leading to increased incidences of crop damage by wild pigs, which will readily forage on cultivated corn, rice and cassava. Local farmers therefore consider them to be a legitimate target for reprisal hunting (2), and may strongly resist any local protection measures. Finally, hybridisation with free-ranging domestic pigs also threatens the existence of the wild Philippine warty pig (1).
Philippine warty pig
provided by wikipedia EN
The Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis) is one of four known species in the pig genus (Sus) endemic to the Philippines. The other three endemic species are the Visayan warty pig (S. cebifrons), Mindoro warty pig (S. oliveri) and the Palawan bearded pig (S. ahoenobarbus), also being rare members of the family Suidae. Philippine warty pigs have two pairs of warts, with a tuft of hair extending outwards from the warts closest to the jaw. It has multiple native common names, but it is most widely known as baboy damo ("bush pig") in Tagalog.
Subspecies
There are at least two recognized subspecies of the Philippine warty pig:
-
S. p. philippensis (from Luzon and nearby islands)
-
S. p. mindanensis (from Mindanao)
Distribution and habitat
In general, the original distribution of S. philippensis covered the western islands of the Philippines, while the original distribution of S. cebifrons covered the central and eastern islands. Specifically, the range of Philippine warty pigs included Luzon, Biliran, Samar, Leyte, Mindoro, Mindanao, Jolo, Polillo, Catanduanes, and possibly other islands. The warty pigs in Lubang Island and its outlying islands may be a distinct species. Moreover, it was formerly found in most habitats (from sea level to up to 2800 m) but is now confined to remote forests due to loss of habitat and heavy hunting by noose traps or trigger set bullets.
Wild pigs have been reported in Bohol and Sibuyan, although it is unclear whether these populations are S. cebifrons or S. philippensis. In April 2022, a Philippine warty pig was documented by a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) team while climbing Mount Apo.[2]
Genetic relation to other pigs (Suidae)
It is closely related to the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus), and in fact was once thought to be a subspecies (i.e., S. b. philippensis) like the Palawan bearded pig (S. b. ahoenobarbus). The Palawan bearded pig is now also frequently classified not as a subspecies, but as a separate Philippine endemic pig species, S. ahoenobarbus.
Hybridization
With loss of its natural habitat from deforestation and uncontrolled logging and hunting, they have been forced into close contact with domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) (the domesticated variety of the non-endemic Eurasian wild boar), and hybridization between the two species has been reported. Accordingly, genetic contamination of Philippine warty pig stock is a real and irreversible problem.[1][3][4]
See also
References
- license
- cc-by-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Wikipedia authors and editors
Philippine warty pig: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis) is one of four known species in the pig genus (Sus) endemic to the Philippines. The other three endemic species are the Visayan warty pig (S. cebifrons), Mindoro warty pig (S. oliveri) and the Palawan bearded pig (S. ahoenobarbus), also being rare members of the family Suidae. Philippine warty pigs have two pairs of warts, with a tuft of hair extending outwards from the warts closest to the jaw. It has multiple native common names, but it is most widely known as baboy damo ("bush pig") in Tagalog.
- license
- cc-by-sa-3.0
- copyright
- Wikipedia authors and editors
