Warthog
Phacochoreus africanus Shoulder height 60–70cm. Weight up to 100kg. This widespread and often conspicuously abundant resident of the African savannah is grey in colour with a thin covering of hairs, wart-like bumps on its face, and rather large, upward-curving tusks. Africa's only diurnal swine, the warthog is often seen in family groups, trotting around with its tail raised stiffly (a diagnostic trait) and a determinedly nonchalant air. They occur throughout Botswana with the exception of the far south, although they don't usually fare well near settlements, as they are very susceptible to subsistence hunting/poaching. Wherever they occur, you'll often see them grazing beside the road, on bended knee. Similar species Bulkier, hairier and browner, the bushpig ( Potomochoerus larvatus) only occurs in the wetter areas of northern Botswana – northern Chobe, the Kwando-Linyanti and the Okavango. Like the warthog, they don't survive well near settlements: they damage crops and so are persistently hunted. That said, even where they do occur, they are rarely seen due to their nocturnal habits and preference for living in dense vegetation.
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