Sus cebifrons

Location in the Zoo: The Islands

The rockstar of the pig world, the male Visayan warty pig is best identified by its mane attraction – a mohawk-like tuft of hair that stretches from head to tail during the breeding season. This pig is critically endangered in the wild. Once native to six Philippine islands, wild populations are extinct on all but two.

Most likely, the three pairs of fleshy bumps on the boar’s face are a defense against the tusks of rivals during a rumble. These pigs are sparsely covered with bristly hairs and have a distinctive white stripe across the bridge of their nose. Males are larger than females. The pigs’ diet consists of plants, fruits, vines, tubers, and earthworms.

Little is known of the animal’s behavior due to the small remaining pockets of pigs in the wild. They are endangered due to habitat loss and farming.