Bornean bearded pig

Bearded pig (Sus barbatus)

The bearded pig (Sus barbatus ) is a species of mammal living in Southeast Asia from the family of the Real pigs ( Suidae ).

Features

Compared to other pigs of the body of the Bartsch wines is comparatively slender, the legs thin and the head elongated. Named giving feature is the yellowish- white hairs, which extend over the trunk. They have two pairs of warts on the face, of which the front is mostly hidden by the beard. My sparse, bristly fur is gray or dark brown, also they have a two-piece tail tuft. Like all pigs they have a long, trunk-like snout, the eyes are small and the ears relatively long. Bartsch wines reach a body length 100-165 cm, a shoulder height of 72-85 cm and a weight of up to 150 kilograms.

Distribution and habitat

Bartsch wines live in Southeast Asia, their circulation area covers the south of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo and several outlying islands. The populations on Palawan, and other Philippine islands are now considered a separate species ( Palawan bearded pig ). Their habitat are rain, secondary and mangrove forests.

Way of life

Bartsch wines are diurnal and usually live in family groups. Unique among pigs are their walks, which are often close together hundreds of animals to groups. During this migration, associated with the changing food supply and often can be several hundred kilometers long, they switch to a nocturnal lifestyle and use mostly off the beaten path of previous marches.

Bartsch wines are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, roots, worms and carrion. Often they follow Gibbon or Makakengruppen to receive the fruits that fall to the ground primates.

Reproduction

After about four months of gestation, the female gives birth to two to eight pups. At birth, it builds a nest, in which the newborns spend their first days of life. With about three months they are weaned, they remain for about a year in the mother. Sexual maturity occurs at around 18 months.

Man and bearded pig

In some regions of Southeast Asia, the bearded pig is used as food. The people know the hiking times and routes of animals and can once a year due to the large groups of hikers rich booty. The strong hunting of Bartsch wine has led to a significant depletion of the population, so that the species by the IUCN as endangered ( " vulnerable" ) is listed.

System

There are two subspecies are distinguished: The Bornean bearded pig, the nominate (Sus barbatus barbatus ), lives in Borneo and the Kraus bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi) on Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. A former third subspecies, the Palawan Bearded Pig, is regarded today as an independent art