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Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source ↗
Common Warthog
Vlakvark · Phacochoerus africanus
A grey, sparsely-haired wild pig with curved tusks, a flat face and wart-like bumps on its cheeks. Warthogs feed by kneeling on their front legs to dig and nibble grass, and they shelter in burrows, often reversing in backwards so they can face the entrance. When they trot away, the whole family holds its thin tails straight up like aerials.
Log your Common Warthog sighting — free →How to identify it
The upright, antenna-like tail held high while running is a dead giveaway compared to bushpig or other pigs.
Look for its tracks
Small cloven hoof with squarish tips; watch for kneeling drag-marks where it shuffled along grazing.
Where to see it in Kruger
Common in open grassland and around camps and waterholes throughout the park, often seen kneeling to graze.
Did you know
Warthogs sleep in old aardvark burrows and back in tail-first so their tusks face any intruder.
Often confused with
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