Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

Courtship behaviors

• Male behaviors
• Smell females' urine to determine reproductive status
• Fight with other males, during seasonal rut (Child et al. 1968)
  • Butt heads and push to unbalance one's rival
    • Facial warts cushion blows and protect the eyes
  • Lower tusks not used to slash or stab
• Soliciting partners
  • Struts then pursues the female with a springy, hip-rolling gait; tail out and bent
  • Rests chin on female's back or hind-end

Copulation brief

• <1 minute

Seasonal reproduction, most common

• Eastern and Southern Africa(Child et al. 1968)
  • Mate near the end of the wet season (Cumming 2013)
  • Birth coincides with the start of the following rains (Cumming 2013)
• Year-round reproduction closer to the equator (Cumming 2013)

Estrus

• Duration (from Estes 1990; Smith 2011)
• c. 72 hours
• Cycles every 5-6 weeks
• Indications of estrus
• Secretions from the vulva discolor the hind-end of females in estrus (Estes 1990)

Gestation

• Duration
• 155-175 days, c. 5.2-5.8 months (Child et al. 1968; Smith 2011)

Birth

• Seasonal; varies by locality typically
  • Throughout spring (September-December) in Zimbabwe (Child et al. 1968)
  • Summer (November-January) in South Africa (White 2010)
  • Fall (March-June) in Uganda (Plesner-Jensen et al. 1999)
• Behavior of mother
  • Mother typically leaves the sounder (group) c. 3 weeks prior to parturition and lives alone (Child et al. 1968)
  • Piglets born within a burrow (Child et al. 1968)
• Litter characteristics
• Litter size
• 1-8 piglets/litter; typically 2-4 (Child et al. 1968; Smith 2011)
• Birth weight (from Cumming 2013)
• Varies inversely with litter-size
• In larger litters (3-4): 480-620 g (1.1-1.4 lb)
• In smaller litters (1-2): 800-850 g (1.8-1.9 lb)

Juveniles/Piglets (<1 yr old)

• Development
• Remain in the burrow for 25-50 days after birth (Smith 2011)
• Suckle unlike domestic piglets (Plesner-Jensen et al. 1999)
  • No teat order
  • Regularly change between nipples
  • Limited synchronized sucking
• Weaned gradually, typically complete by 21 weeks (Smith 2011)
  • Begin solid foods < 2 months of age (Child et al. 1968)
  • Frequently nurse until 10 weeks of age (Child et al. 1968)
  • Milk similar to that of domestic pigs; 19-20% total solids, 7.3% fats, 7.0% protein, and 3.4% sugars (Child et al. 1968)
    • Colostrum may be higher in protein

Subadult/Yearling (1-2 yr old)

• Disperse from natal (birth) clans (from White et al. 2010)
• Males and females leave natal clans and form groups
  • Typically near their area of birth

Adult (>2 yr old)

• Males/Boars
  • Sexually mature c. 2 years; 26 months (Child et al. 1968)
• Females/Sows
  • Sexually mature 1-2 years (Child et al. 1968)
    • First reproduce c. 2 years (Child et al. 1968)

Wild populations

• Not reported

Managed care

• Median life expectancy (AZA 2024)
  • Males: 11.3 years
  • Females: 12.3 years

Parasites

• Weaken animals and transmit disease (from Cumming 2013 unless otherwise noted)
  • Host to trypanosomes, nematodes, cestodes trematodes, ticks (c. 65 species), fleas, lice, and the tsetse fly (Cumming 2013; Claxton et al. 1992)

Disease (from Cumming 2013 unless otherwise noted)

• Viral infections
  • Swine fever - viral hemorrhagic fever
  • Rinderpest
• Bacterial infections
  • Tuberculosis - bacterial infection that may lead to malnutrition and emaciation (Kalema-Zikusoka et al. 2005)

Human caused mortality (from Cumming 2013 unless otherwise noted)

• Hunted for food and tusks
• Killed to control transmission of disease
  • Large numbers often killed
  • To reduce Ornithodorous moubataticks and tsetse fly populations
    • Tick transmits swine fever to domestic pigs and relapsing fever to humans
    • Fly transmits trypanosomiasis to domestic livestock
• Live trapped and shot to reduce grazing pressure in some areas (Mason 1985)

Weather

• Rainfall
  • Totals can greatly impact juvenile recruitment (Mason 1990)
  • Severe drought disproportionately impacts juvenile survival, one study (Mason 1990)

Piglets suckle from their mothers for 10 weeks. Weaning is gradual and not complete until nearly 21 weeks of age.

Image credit: © Brian Gratwicke from Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Child et al. (1968)
Claxton et al. (1992)
Cumming (1975)
Cumming (2013)
Estes (1990)
Kalema-Zikusoka et al. (2005)
Mason (1985)
Mason (1990)
Plesner-Jensen et al. (1999)
Smith (2011)
White (2010)
White et al. (2010)