Wart+Hog

Liz

Wart hogs are well adapted to living on the grass lands in Africa. The climate here is hot and dry. There is a wet season that lasts from six to eight months followed by a dry season when there are fires that keep trees and shrubs from growing. Wart hogs spend their days eating grass and sometimes berries and bark from trees. At night they sleep in dens under ground. Photo from Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/manager_2000/2829628187/sizes/m/

Physical Adaptations:
Their eyes are set back on the heads and are wide apart. This helps them watch for predators while they are feeding and have their heads down.

Wart hogs have warts on their faces that protect their eyes from damage by their tusks when they fight other wart hogs.

Their snouts are very hard and can be used like a shovel to dig up roots and tubers when it is very dry and the grass is all dried up.

Behavioral Adaption:
Wart hogs roll in the mud to coat their skin. This keeps them cool and protects them from biting insects.

Wart Hog Video:
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