Are you about to set off for your Africa wildlife safari? I would recommend Murchison Falls National Park as your final wildlife destination. Why? Its is magically interesting! It’s also easy to watch the smaller creatures when it comes to a game drive on your wildlife safari in Uganda in this park. On your Safari Uganda/ Visit Uganda to Murchison Falls National Park Uganda, one of the jungles of Africa that are filled with one of the celebrity animal species in the world.
Celebrity Animals in Murchison Falls National Park
This is a warthog also known as Pumba. It was impelled into celebrity by the unforgettable Pumba in Disney’s Lion King. These are one of the charming creatures that make an African safari colourful here in Uganda.
A warthogs’ scientific name is a Phacochoerus Africanus (Common warthog). Warthogs belong to the family of pigs however; they are the most feared member of the pig family. They are called warthogs because of their wart-like bumps on their large elongated face. These warts protect the hogs from protruding in their mouth. A female Warthog is called a Sow while the Male is referred to a Boar. At the moment, warthogs are not listed as endangered species.
Interestingly, Warthogs can be found in the grasslands, woodlands, and savanna regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and while on a safari in Uganda, you will encounter them in Uganda’s savannah National Parks. Let’s uncover some more interesting facts about this wild pig.
Facts About Warthogs
Their habits are quite strange but amazing- It feeds with it is forelegs bent, people normally refer it to the only animal that prays to its God before, during and after eating its food.
- It runs with its tail erect like a radio antenna. In other words, the one way it alerts its family that they are on the move more so when they are running away from danger. Its tail only goes up when it is running. With this description, you won’t fail to spot warthogs running with their tails in the air on your game drive.
- An omnivore, it uses its rubbery snout to grub up roots and tubers. It often wallows in mud to help regulate its temperature and rid parasites from its largely naked skin.
- Warthog uses their tusks for digging, fighting with rivals and defending themselves against predators.
- They like to roll in the mud to protect their skin from the sun and from parasites.
- Fact is, cheetahs are the fastest animals on earth however, warthogs can kick it into high gear when they need to. The low to the ground animals are capable of reaching top speeds of 30 miles per hour (48 kilometres per hour).
- Warthogs produce a different type of sounds (depending on the occasion). During mating season, males produce grunting sounds. When threatened, warthogs squeal to inform other members of the group about the upcoming danger.
- Warthogs mate at the end of the rainy season, or at the beginning of the dry season. Pregnancy lasts 5 to 6 months and ends with 4 babies. Female has 4 teats, but each baby uses exclusively its own teat. Even if one baby dies, “free” teat cannot be taken by other babies.
Female warthogs, called sows, are social animals and live in groups called sounders, which can contain up to 40 members. Females groom each other and huddle together at night for warmth. Adult males aren’t as social and can be territorial. Often, they live alone.- In general, warthogs forage during daybreak and the twilight hours. If they live in a dangerous area, they forage at night.
- Warthogs are often perceived as vicious animals that attack and eat prey. Actually, warthogs are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation, according to ADW. A warthog’s diet includes roots, berries, bark, bulbs, grass and plants. During times of scarcity, warthogs may eat meat, but they don’t hunt. They munch on dead animals, worms or bugs they find as they forage. In a dry season, these animals can go months without water, according to National Geographic.
- Female warthogs have up to eight young at a time, though they usually only have two or three, after a gestation period of around six months. Baby warthogs are called piglets. Piglets weigh around 1 to 2 lbs. (450 to 900 grams) at birth, according to the San Diego Zoo.
- The young live with their mother and piglets are weaned around 4 months old and become mature at 20 months. Females tend to stay with their mother as adults, while males tend to go off on their own. Warthogs live 12 to 18 years.
- Oxpeckers and other birds ride on warthogs and eat insects off their bodies. Warthogs will also wallow in mud to get rid of insects and to cool down on a hot day. Like pigs, warthogs don’t have sweat glands to cool themselves.
Want to see these precious celebrities up close?
Book your Uganda safari tour with us so we tailor for you a Uganda wildlife tour itinerary that passed through destinations where you can see warthogs. You may visit other parks like Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for a Uganda gorilla safari, or Uganda gorilla trekking safari or decide to visit other National Parks like Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda, or Kidepo Valley National Park for a wildlife safari in Uganda. If you’re interested in Uganda day tours, we can tailor for you a 1 Day Jinja tour, 1 Day Jinja excursion, 1 Day Kampala city tour, 1 Day Ngamba Island trip, 1 Day Fishing trip and many more.
