The Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is a suid found in the Himalayas. It is the smallest and the rarest wild pig in the world and is now listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe skin of the Pygmy hog is a grayish-brown color, and its coat consists of blackish-brown bristles. Its irises are hazel brown, and it usually has no facial warts. Its head is sharply tapered with a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. It has well-developed teeth, with upturned canines and molars with rounded cusps. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of their mouths.
Pygmy hogs can be found only in southern Bhutan and Assam, India. They live in dense tall grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Pygmy hogs are social animals and live in small family groups. These groups usually consist of one or two adult females and their offspring. Adult males live separately and only contact with these groups throughout the year. Pygmy hogs are diurnal and spend daylight hours foraging. Throughout the year they make sleeping nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. They also rest within these nests during the heat of the day and warm up in winter.
Pygmy hogs are omnivores. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.
Pygmy hogs breed seasonally before the monsoons. Females give birth to a litter of 3 to 6 piglets after a gestation of 100 days. The young remain hidden in nests for about one week and become reproductively mature when they are 1-2 years old.
Pygmy hogs used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. However, human encroachment has largely destroyed their natural habitat by development, agriculture, domestic grazing, and deliberate fires. Today, only one viable population remains in the Manas National Park, but even there, it is threatened by livestock grazing, poaching, fire, and tigers.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Pygmy hog is 100-250 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...