Warthogs certainly win the contest for "so ugly it wraps around to cute again." We saw them throughout our trip, primarily in the open grasslands but occasionally in the forest. Though these pictures sometimes make them look small and cute, the males can get up to 300+ lbs and be more than a meter long.
They use their tusks for defense, to duel between males, and to root for food. They are quite omnivorous and will eat all manner of plant life along with some carrion.
Like many other prey animals in the savanna, the warthog seems to survive by sheer numbers. A typical litter will apparently begin with up to 10 piglets and that number will gradually whittle down due to various predators, but enough survive to repeat the process. When startled they all perk up their tails like little flags and trot away in single file, which is often referred to as "The Kenyan Express."
They use their tusks for defense, to duel between males, and to root for food. They are quite omnivorous and will eat all manner of plant life along with some carrion.
Like many other prey animals in the savanna, the warthog seems to survive by sheer numbers. A typical litter will apparently begin with up to 10 piglets and that number will gradually whittle down due to various predators, but enough survive to repeat the process. When startled they all perk up their tails like little flags and trot away in single file, which is often referred to as "The Kenyan Express."
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