Fun Timor Warty Pig Facts For Kids

The Timor warty pig (Sus celebensis) is the feral form of the Celebes warty pig or the Sulawesi warty pig. These pigs are mainly found in Indonesia in its Sulawesi Island and are found on a number of neighboring islands too.

They are not usually found in the northeastern and southern parts of the island. When introduced to the islands of Timor, Flores, Lendu, and Nias Islands, this species hybridized with the wild boar and formed the feral species of the native form of the Celebes warty pig (Sus celebensis).

This species of black-colored pigs, also called the Celebes wild boars, can be found in the forest and grassland habitat.

This species is considered to be quite social and is found in a group of two to nine pigs. Unlike many other mammals, members of the genus Sus give birth to their young ones in a nest.

Though it is fairly abundant in its range, its population in Sulawesi and its neighboring islands has immensely suffered in the last few years, mainly because of deforestation and hunting.

In the southwestern region of the Sulawesi Island and in the nearby Selayar Island, where it was formerly found, this species has become nearly extinct because of the deforestation that has taken place in these areas to make way for human settlement.

For these reasons, it is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List.

If you want to know more facts about other mammals, check our red kangaroo facts and snow leopard facts pages.
 

Timor Warty Pig Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Timor warty pig?

The Timor warty pig is a type of pig.

What class of animal does a Timor warty pig belong to?

The Celebes warty pig (Sus celebensis) belongs to the class Mammalia, family Suidae, and genus Sus.

How many Timor warty pigs are there in the world?

The exact number of Sulawesi warty pigs in the world has not been quantified, but their population trend is considered to be declining in their range.

Where does a Timor warty pig live?

The Celebes wild boar is found in a range of habitats in many islands of Indonesia, mainly the northern, central, and eastern regions of the Sulawesi Island.

It was found in its native form in some neighboring islands and is also currently found in the feral form like the Timor warty pig, which came to rise after the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) hybridized with the wild boar.

These feral pigs are found in the islands of Flores, Timor, Seram, Simeuleu, and the Nias Islands, and their domesticated form is found on the islands of Roti and Sawu.

It was once found in the southwestern region of the Sulawesi Island and the nearby Selayar Island as well, but their populations in those areas have become virtually extinct because of extensive deforestation.

What is a Timor warty pig's habitat?

The Timor warty pig or the Celebes warty pig (Sus celebensis) prefers a number of habitats like grasslands, swamps, and agricultural areas. It has also been found in a forest habitat and in altitudes of up to 7,546 ft (2,300 m) high, though they are quite rare in such places.

Who do Timor warty pigs live with?

The Sulawesi warty boar has been found to be a social animal and usually lives in a group of up to nine pigs. Generally, these groups consist of a male pig, a few female pigs, and their young ones. Two or three different groups may even form a large group or a herd.

How long does a Timor warty pig live?

Though there is not enough data available due to lack of research, the Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) has been estimated to have a lifespan of around 10 years in the wild. When raised in captivity, these boars can live for up to more than nine years.

How do they reproduce?

There is no particular breeding season for these wild pigs but most of the mating in this species is suspected to take place in the month of February. The males in this species do not participate in caring for the piglets and females do most of the rearing.

The females build nests out of grass, leaves, twigs, and branches, and give birth to around one to three piglets after a gestation period of four to five months.

What is their conservation status?

The population of the Celebes warty pig (Sus celebensis) has been steadily declining for several decades. Although being in some protected areas, these wild pigs are still hunted for their meat, which is considered superior in some of the places they are found in.

Deforestation because of human settlement has also put their habitat greatly at risk. Thus, they are listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List.

Timor Warty Pig Fun Facts

What do Timor warty pigs look like?

The Sulawesi warty pigs (Sus celebensis) are usually black in color but can vary from reddish to brown as well.

Some of them have yellow or white hairs on their body along with black hair too. They have a short face, a big snout, and a stripe of slightly longer hair or bristles on their backs which go from their neck to their tails, which are long and tufted.

Adult males of this species are usually larger in size than females.

Both the males and females have three pairs of warts on their faces, but they are more prominent in the males and grow larger in size as they grow and mature.

The piglets are born with around five to six dark brown and light brown colored stripes on their body but they fade away by the time they are six months old.

These boars look quite similar to the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), which is a Critically Endangered species from the same genus that are found in the Philippines.

*Please note that this is an image of a Visayan warty pig, a similar species to the Timor warty pig. If you have an image of a Timor warty pig, please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

The Celebes or Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) looks a bit scary and intimidating with its black hair and big snout and head. It has very aggressive behavior and thus, it will only look cute to the very brave.

How do they communicate?

There is not enough data on how the Celebes or Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) communicates with the rest of the members of its groups but it is suspected that they use some form of sounds or actions to communicate.

The males of this pig species are, however, known to aggressively fight another pig or other animals by pushing or shoving them.

How big is a Timor warty pig?

This warty pig species can grow in the range of 31.5-51 in (80-130 cm) in length, which is almost the same size as the domestic pig.

How fast can a Timor warty pig run?

It is not known how fast this species of warty pigs (Sus celebensis) can run. However, other wild boars have been known to run at speeds as high as 25 mph (40 kph).

How much does a Timor warty pig weigh?

The Celebes warty pig can weigh in the range of 88-154 lb (40-70 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the males of this species of wild boars (Sus celebensis) but females, once they mature, can be called sows.

What would you call a baby Timor warty pig?

A baby warty pig of this species is called a piglet.

What do they eat?

The Celebes warty pig (Sus celebensis) is an omnivore, and thus, their diet mainly consists of carrion, leaves, fallen fruit, and small vertebrates. They do not have many predators as an adult but their young ones might be attacked and eaten by the reticulated python and the saltwater crocodile if they are found in their range of distribution.

Are they dangerous?

Attacks by warty pigs on human beings are rare but can be extremely painful and fatal as these animals are known to be aggressive towards strangers. It would be best to run in the opposite direction and not to try to feed them if you see one in the wild!

Would they make a good pet?

They can be kept as domestic pigs but feral warty pigs are considered quite aggressive and keeping a wild boar as a pet would definitely not be a good idea.

Did you know...

It is speculated that the three pairs of warts on the face of males of this species might act as a tool in impressing the females during the mating process or intimidating other males and act as competition for them.

Is a warty pig a warthog?

No, a warty pig is not a warthog even though they both belong to the same class and pig family. Warthogs have large, curved teeth and their heads are also much bigger than warty pigs.

How many babies do Timor warty pigs have?

The Timor warty pig (Sus celebensis) does not have a breeding season and may breed at any time in the year. Their litter size has been as high as eight in some cases but the average sow has one to three piglets at a time. The females of this species only breed and give birth once a year.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our pampas cat fun facts or Sussex spaniel facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Timor warty pig coloring pages.