Potamochoerus
porcus
Red river hog |
Taxonomy | Description
| Reproduction | Ecology
| Behavior | Distribution
| Conservation | Remarks
| Literature |
| Taxonomy
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Potamochoerus porcus [Linnaeus, 1758].
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Citation: Syst. Nat., 10th ed., 1:50.
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Type locality: "Guinea" (= West Africa).
The taxonomic record (above) is taken from Wilson and Reeder (1993).
Two subspecies named: porcus west of Niger River, and pictus east of Niger
River (Happold, 1987).
Subspecies differentiated by minor differences in skulls, probably not valid
(Happold, 1987).
albifrons (porcus) albinuchalis (porcus) mawambicus (porcus) penicillatus
(porcus) pictus (porcus) ubangensis (porcus)
General Characteristics
scientific measurements.
Reported measurements for red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus) |
| Source |
Adult Weight |
Head & Body Length |
Shoulder Height
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Tail Length |
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| Happold, 1987 |
54-81 kg |
127 cm |
63-76 cm |
38 cm |
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Pelage bright rufous (Happold, 1987).
reddish brown or rufous (Lydekker, 1915).
Dorsal surface and flanks covered with long coarse rufous hair (Happold,
1987).
White mane on mid-dorsal line (Happold, 1987).
Short, bright white dorsal crest (Lydekker, 1915).
Crest cemmences just behind ears (Lydekker, 1915).
Coat dense; skin not visible - compared with sparse coat of P. larvatus
(Lydekker, 1915).
Large pig (Happold, 1987).
Limbs short and thickset, hooves small (Happold, 1987).
Tail has black terminal tuft (Happold, 1987).
Forehead blackish in mature adults (Lydekker, 1915).
White markings above eyes greatly expanded in specimens from 'Cape Lopez,
western French Congo" (Lydekker, 1915).
Head elongated (Happold, 1987).
Muzzle with flattened snout (Happold, 1987).
Cheeks and forehead greyish-brown (Happold, 1987).
White patch below each eye and on throat (Happold, 1987).
Eyes small (Happold, 1987).
Ears pointed with tuft of long white hair at tip (Happold, 1987).
Ears black, with the upper margin and part of the terminal tuft whitish
(Lydekker, 1915).
Facial 'warts' (tuberopsities) less well developed than in larvatus (Lydekker,
1915).
Upper pair does not project past nasal plane (Lydekker, 1915).
Tusks small and short (Happold, 1987).
Ontogeny and Reproduction
Three to six young born per litter (Happold, 1987).
Gestation period about 5 months (Happold, 1987).
New-boprn young recorded in Nigeria in February and March (Happold, 1987).
Extent of breeding season unknown (Happold, 1987).
Young bown dark rufous with pale yellow longitudinal stripes on back and
flanks (Happold, 1987).
Ecology
Inhabit rainforest, secondary forestm and riverine forest where there is
lots of cover (Happold, 1987).
Prefer moist habitats where the soil is soft and water is plentiful (Happold,
1987).
May undergo seasonal dispersals into other forest regions during the wet
season (Happold, 1987).
Primarily nocturnal (Happold, 1987).
Live in groups of up to 20 individuals (Happold, 1987).
Fairly nomadic - wander over a wide area searching for food (Happold, 1987).
Good swimmers (Happold, 1987).
Omnivorous (Happold, 1987).
Roots, berries, fruits, bulbs eaten (Happold, 1987).
Occassionally reptiles, birds, and eggs eaten (Happold, 1987).
Forage with muzzle and by scraping in soft soil with forefeet (Happold, 1987).
Scrapes are often the most obvious evidence that red river hogs are present
(Happold, 1987).
May cause damage to farmlands adjacent to forest (Happold, 1987).
Behavior
Behavior
Distribution
Distribution
Countries: (IUCN, 2006).
Range Map (Redrawn from Vercammen et al., 1993)
Conservation Status
Status
Remarks
Remarks
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Local names ()
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[]
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French
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()
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German
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()
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Spanish
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()
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Literature
Cited
Happold, D. C. D. 1987. The Mammals of Nigeria. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
pp. 203-204.
Lydekker, R. 1915. Catalogue of the Ungulate Mammals in the British
Museum of Natural History, Volume IV. London: the Order of the
Trustees of the British Museum.
Vercammen, P., A. H. W. Seydack, and W. L. R. Oliver. 1993. The
bush pigs (Potamochoerus porcus and P. larvatus).
In Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos: Status Survey and Action Plan.
Edited by W. L. R. Oliver. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
pp. 93-101. Available online at
http://iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/pphsg/Contents.htm
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder [editors]. 1993. Mammal Species of the World
(Second Edition). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Available online at
http://nmnhwww.si.edu/msw/
Additional Resources
*African swine fever virus infection of the bushpig (Potamochoerus porcus)
and its significance in the epidemiology of the disease
Anderson, E.C.1; Hutchings, G.H.2; Mukarati, N.3; Wilkinson, P.J.
Veterinary Microbiology, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 1-15, April 1998
*Faecal steroid metabolites for non-invasive assessment of reproduction in
common warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus), red river hogs (Potamochoerus porcus)
and babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa)
Berger, EM; Leus, K; Vercammen, P; Schwarzenberger, F
ANIMAL REPRODUCTION SCIENCE,vol.91,no.1-2,pp.155-171,2006
*Dosimont, O.
Red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus) capture and breeding in the equatorial
forest of Gabon
Game & Wildlife Science 21 (3, Sp. Iss. SI): 375-385 SEP 2004
*DUBOST G
THE SIZE OF AFRICAN FOREST ARTIODACTYLS AS DETERMINED BY THE VEGETATION STRUCTURE
African Journal of Ecology 17 (1): 1-18 1979
*Henschel, P, Abernethy, KA, White, LJT
Leopard food habits in the Lope National Park, Gabon, Central Africa
AFR J ECOL 43 (1): 21-28 MAR 2005
Magliocca, F, Querouil, S, Gautier-Hion, A
Seed eating in elephant dung by two large mammals in the Congo Republic
REV ECOL-TERRE VIE 58 (1): 143-149 2003
Oduro, W. 1989. Ecology of the red river hog in southern Nigeria. (Unpubl.)
Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Ibadan, Nigeria.
* Tutin, CEG, White, LJT, MackangaMissandzou, A
The use by rain forest mammals of natural forest fragments in an equatorial
African savanna
CONSERV BIOL 11 (5): 1190-1203 OCT 1997
*Wu Gui-sheng, Pang Jun-feng, Zhang Ya-ping. 2006. Molecular
phylogeny and phylogeography of Suidae. Zoological Research; 27(2):
197-201.
HAPPOLD D
MAMMALS IN NIGERIA
Oryx 11 (6): 469 1972
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