Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Pygmy Hog


Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam.They are about 55 to 71 cm long and stand at 20–30 cm with a tail of 2.5 cm. They weigh 6.6-11.8 kg. Their skin is dark brownish black and the fur is dark. Piglets are born grayish-pink becoming brown with yellow stripes along the body length. The head is sharply tapered and they have a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of the mouth. They live for about 8 years, becoming sexually mature at 1–2 years. They breed seasonally before the monsoons giving birth to a litter of 3-6 after a gestation of 100 days. In the wild they make small nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. During the heat of the day they stay within these nests. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.
                                                      SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 
                                                    Kingdom   :   Animalia
                                                      Phylum    :   Chordata
                                                       Class      :   Mammalia
                                                        Order    :   Artiodactyla
                                                        Family   :    Suidae
                                                  Subfamily    :    Suinae
                                                         Genus  :    Porcula
                                                     Species    :   P. salvania

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