The bearded pig is a curious natural creature. Wild Bornean bearded pig - maryikina kamorka
bearded pig | |
Scientific classification | |
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International scientific name | |
Sus barbatus Salomon Muller, |
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Security status | |
External signs
Compared to other members of the pig family, the bearded pig's body type is relatively slender, with thin legs and an elongated head. The most noticeable feature, which gives the species its name, is the yellowish-white hair that covers the snout. Bearded pigs have two pairs of warts on their faces, of which one pair is located under the beard. Like all pigs, they have a long, trunk-shaped snout, small eyes and long ears. The sparse bristle-like fur is gray or dark brown. One more characteristic feature is a forked tassel on the tail. These animals reach a length from 100 to 165 cm, a height at the withers from 72 to 85 cm and a weight of up to 150 kg.
Spreading
Bearded pigs live in South-East Asia, or rather on the Malay Peninsula, on the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and some neighboring islands. Populations on Palawan Island and other Philippine islands are sometimes considered separate species Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus). The habitat of bearded pigs is tropical forests and mangroves.
Behavior
Bearded pigs are typically active during the day and live in natal groups. Unique among pigs is their migratory behavior. For joint journeys of several hundred kilometers, several groups of up to several hundred animals unite at once. During such journeys, driven by changing food availability, bearded pigs become nocturnal and use well-trodden trails from previous marches.
Bearded pigs are omnivores and their food includes fruits, roots, worms and carrion. They often follow groups of gibbons and macaques to pick up fruits dropped by the primates on the ground.
Reproduction
Bearded pig near a pond
After a four-month pregnancy, the female gives birth to two to eight cubs. For the offspring, a structure resembling a nest is first constructed, in which the cubs spend the first weeks of their lives. Three months after birth, they switch from milk to regular feeding, but remain with their mother until they reach one year of age. Puberty occurs at the age of 18 months.
Bearded pig and man
In some regions of Southeast Asia, bearded pigs are used as food and hunted. Local residents know the periods and routes of migration of these animals, and once a year they get rich prey by tracking down numerous groups pigs. Overall, the bearded pig population is not in danger.
Taxonomy
Depending on your point of view, there are two or three subspecies of bearded pigs. This is a Bornean bearded pig ( Sus barbatus barbatus) and a curly bearded pig ( Sus barbatus oi), living in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. The third subspecies is sometimes considered the Palawan bearded pig mentioned above.
Literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
Notes
BoarThe wild boar (lat. Sus scrofa), or boar, or wild pig, is a mammal from the order Artiodactyla, the suborder Porciniformes (non-ruminant), the family of pigs, the genus of wild boars. Is an ancestor domestic pig.
BoarsBoars (lat. Sus) are a genus of the pig family.
The wild boar's homeland is Eurasia, but later they settled across all continents, except for the regions of the Arctic and Antarctica, which are difficult to reach. mountainous areas, some deserts and islands. Archaeological evidence from Hallan Chemi Tepe, southeastern Turkey, has shown that wild boars were domesticated more than 10,000 years ago, before goats and sheep.
Puerto Princesa (river)Puerto Princesa - underground river on the island of Palawan, near the Philippine city of Puerto Princesa.
PigsPigs (lat. Suidae) are a family of non-ruminant artiodactyla (Artiodactyla), which includes 8 species, including the only European representative of the family - the wild boar, which is the ancestor of the domestic pig. A baby pig is called a piglet.
List of threatened mammal speciesThe List of Threatened Mammal Species contains a list of species of mammals (Mammalia) that are International Union nature conservation and natural resources(IUCN) assigned protection statuses“Vulnerable species”, “Endangered species” or “Critically Endangered species”. There are currently 1,196 rare and endangered mammal species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, of which 526 are vulnerable, 471 are endangered and 199 are critically endangered. Two more species of artiodactyls, David's deer and Saharan oryx, appear on this list as extinct in wildlife(category “Disappeared in the Wild”, Extinct in the Wild,), and 81 species of mammals are already completely extinct in historical time(category “Extinct species”, Extinct species). They are also presented in this list.
In total, as of 2005, 5,416 species of mammals were known. Thus, more than a fifth of all species of these animals are endangered, and at least 1.5% have already become completely extinct due to human fault.
The classification of mammals in this list is given in accordance with modern theriological literature.
Some breeds of pigs that have funny look, were born as a result of selection. But the bearded pig is an exception to this rule.
Only Mother Nature took part in the appearance of this pig with a beard. Take a look at the photo of this animal: it can hardly be compared with the appearance of an ordinary domestic pig, which we are all accustomed to, isn’t it? The bearded pig has a more elongated snout and much slimmer legs than ordinary pigs.
These extraordinary animals live on the island of Borneo, Sumatra and the island of Palawan. In addition, this pig can be found on the Malay Peninsula and some Philippine Islands.
This creature lives in mangroves and tropical forests, because everything is provided here for their nutrition: both animal and plant food.
Appearance of a bearded pig
These are quite large animals. Their weight reaches 150 kilograms, body length adult bearded pig: from 100 to 170 centimeters.
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The height of the animal is 75 - 80 centimeters.
The most memorable feature in the appearance of this beast is its beard. It is formed by long shaggy hair growths. Why does a pig have a beard, you ask? A reasonable question, but even today scientists cannot answer it. Let's assume it's for beauty.
The entire body of the animal is covered with sparse bristles, which are colored brown or grey colour. The stubble on this pig is so sparse that the skin shows through it; the bearded beauty’s hair is pink.
The lifestyle of a bearded pig, its diet and behavior in the wild
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Activity in these mammals occurs during daylight hours days. It is difficult to meet bearded pigs alone, because they are accustomed to living in groups, numbering several dozen individuals, usually 20–30 pigs.
Almost all the time, bearded pigs are in slow migration. They follow packs of gibbons and macaques, moving from one pasture to another. Why do they go after the monkeys? Everything is very simple - after the primates there is a lot of uneaten food: fruits on the trees. Behind them, bearded pigs eat plant delicacies.
At the end of summer, the migration speed increases. Therefore, at this time of year, you can see huge numbers of bearded pigs continuously marching towards the south.
![](https://i2.wp.com/animalreader.ru/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1360268057_2479165561_dbc7a44408_o-e1413043467907.jpg)
At this time, local residents, who know the herd’s route in advance, begin hunting for bearded pigs, stocking up on meat for a long time.
How do bearded pigs reproduce?
Before breeding, these animals make a nest. They line it with soft leaves and various grasses.
A pregnant female bearded pig carries her offspring for about four months, after which several cubs are born. Typically a litter consists of 2 – 8 piglets.
![](https://i2.wp.com/animalreader.ru/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/37f210b15c571210a9ae9995f7b-e1413043475942.jpg)
For the first 14 days, the babies are in a nest built by the female, and after this period of time, they begin to go out to the rest of the herd members. Following their mother, they learn to get food for themselves.
The wild Bornean bearded pig (Bearded pig) of the Boar family is an endemic species of the island of Borneo, Malaysia, characterized by dense and long facial hair.
Adults with a body length of 100 to 165 cm (height at withers 75-80 cm) reach a weight of 150 kilograms. Females are somewhat smaller than males.
Adult body wild pig quite massive, gray or brown in color, the limbs are long and thin, and the tassel at the tip of the tail is forked.
The head is elongated, with large ears and small, attentive eyes. Light long bristles cover their muzzle from the snout almost to the ears.
These are diurnal animals that prefer places untouched by man and civilization. Their home is rainforests And mangroves. Bearded pigs are omnivores, they are like vacuum cleaners-bulldozers in an endless search for food from morning to sunset, leaving dug up heaps of earth everywhere.
They feed on roots and green matter of plants, fruits, and mushrooms. They especially love forest fruits, acorns, nuts, as well as insects, worms, crabs and small invertebrates. They also do not disdain carrion - Bornean wild boars are excellent at recycling dead Proboskis. I personally saw in the jungle the bones of Kahau, gnawed to a jewelry shine, the day before she died in a fight.
Bearded pigs breed all year round. After 4 months of pregnancy, the female brings from 2 to 8 cubs, usually 2-4 babies. For her future offspring, she builds a special “nest” of leaves and branches about 2 meters long and 1 meter high. The piglets live here for the first two weeks, and then, together with their mother and the rest of the group, they gradually move from place to place. At the age of three months, they already switch from feeding with milk to “pasture”. When they reach one year of age they begin independent life, and from 18 months they are ready to reproduce.
IN national park Bako (Borneo) pigs are quite calm towards people, and one young pig even became friends with me, keeping company every evening for walks along the beach line at the water's edge, like a lap dog. He calmly allowed himself to be photographed, including on his phone.
However, the passive goodwill of bearded pigs is very deceptive - large individuals Territory and females often engage in fights, and females can attack anyone who is near the small piglets. In all these cases, having heard a warning sniffle from the bushes or a dull roar, it is better to hide from the scene as quickly as possible. I once found myself in a fight between three individuals at once - all the other animals nearby quickly ran away in all directions from the scene of the mess)
In total, there are three types of bearded pigs in the genus of wild boars: the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) lives only on the island of Borneo, the Curly bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi) lives on Sumatra and the Malawian Peninsula and the Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) settled on the Philippine island of Palawan. Balabac and Kalamian Islands.
(c) Text and all photos are mine. The publication is protected by copyright law.
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- Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
- Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placental, higher animals
- Order: Artiodactyla Owen, 1848 = Artiodactyla
- Suborder: Nonruminantia Jaeckel, 1911 = Non-ruminant, pig-like
- Family: Suidae Gray, 1821 = Pigs, pigs
![](https://i1.wp.com/zooeco.com/Images/S_barbatus1s.jpg)
The bearded pig (Sus barbatus) is the same size as a wild boar, or slightly smaller (body length 100-160 cm, weight about 100 kg), but relatively taller. It got its name from the elongated light bristles that frame the muzzle from the corners of the mouth almost to the ears. The body is covered with sparse bristles, through which the gray or grayish-pink body is visible. On the muzzle between the eyes and fangs, as well as between the eyes, there are warts, especially strongly developed in males. Forms 6 subspecies, distributed on the Malacca Peninsula, the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Palawan and a number of small islands of Indonesia.
Inhabits tropical forests and mangroves, where it feeds on forest fruits, roots, young seedlings of sago palms, insects, worms and other invertebrate animals. Often makes devastating raids on yam and cassava fields. They usually live in families, and the family herd of bearded pigs likes to accompany wandering herds of gibbons and macaques, picking up fruits dropped by monkeys from trees.
![](https://i2.wp.com/zooeco.com/Im9/Sus%20barbatus.jpg)
In most places they live sedentary, but in the northeast of the island of Kalimantan, according to Pierre Pfeffer’s description, they undertake mass migrations in August - September. Thousands of pigs take part in such migrations, which in groups of 20-30 animals continuously go south, hardly feeding along the road, swimming across fast mountain streams and wide rivers. Locals(Dyaks) know well the migration routes of pigs and, when they enter the rivers, cut their path with pirogues and hit them with spears. The pigs thrown down the river are collected by the entire population of the village. In some years, the migrations are especially grandiose, and the Dayaks hunt so many pigs that the rivers are filled with their corpses. In 1954, when the Dayaks were hunting bearded pigs for more than a week, the Mohammedans of Kalimantan, who lived downstream and did not eat pork, declared war on the Dayaks for desecrating the water.
![](https://i2.wp.com/zooeco.com/Im9/Sus%20barbatus2.jpg)
Bearded pigs breed all year round, giving birth to 2-8 piglets (usually 2-4 piglets).
For newborns, the female builds a nest from branches, palm leaves and ferns. In such a nest, up to 1 m high and 2 m in diameter, piglets live for about two weeks. They separate from their mother at about one year of age. The main enemies of piglets are clouded leopard, python and Malayan bear.
A species close to the bearded pig - Javan pig (Sus verrucosus), inhabiting the islands of Java, Sulawesi and the Philippines; Many studies combine it with it into one species. It is highly variable (11 subspecies have been described) and is characterized by three warts on the face (in front of the eyes, under the eyes and on the posterior corner of the lower jaw). Settles more often in shrubby river valleys, swamps and tall grass savannas. http://www.posidelkino.ru/pigsty/wild/verrucosus.htm