The animal has a peculiar character, and its unique appearance attracts special attention. A feature of this breed is alienation from people and settlement near rivers and lakes. At night, the pig goes out in search of food, and eats everything that comes in its way.
The appearance and distribution of the breed
An African pig (or river pig) is an animal that differs markedly from its usual counterparts. The animal has an interesting appearance and character, significantly different from what is usual to see in ordinary domestic pigs. Pistachio pigs are strong, agile and fast, which helps them survive in nature. The pig got its name due to the long hair that sticks out on the sides of the muzzle.
Pistachio pigs appeared in Western and Central Africa, mainly living in Guinea and Congo. Avoid drought, found near ponds. Its representatives are common both in the rainforests and in the savannahs.
Previously, the African and Madagascar pigs were considered one species. But after conducting a comparative analysis, it was found that the animals, although they are similar in appearance, but they are two separate species. Madagascar (shrubby) pigs live in the Eastern and Southern parts of Africa; they have a less variegated color than that of the roosters.
The color and size of African pigs may vary, because there are several subspecies that differ well in appearance. Previously, five varieties of the racemose pig were isolated, but today they are all ranked by scientists as one.
External features and nature of the animal
An African pig lives near rivers, swamps or lakes, because it does not like drought. Representatives have a rather peculiar appearance, which significantly distinguishes them from other breeds:
- Short, hard coat of reddish-brown color, white stripe along the ridge.
- The body length on average reaches 1.5 meters, height - 80 centimeters, weight - 120 kilograms.
- Head proportional to body size. The snout is elongated, the coat is gray-white. Most often, animals with a dark spot on the forehead between the eyes are found.
- In animals, a compact and proportional body. The limbs are short, dark in color below the hock.
- Around the eyes are woolen white circles. The same color whiskers on the sides of the snout.
- African pigs have a long tail - about 40 centimeters. There is practically no hair on the tail, only at the end a characteristic brush.
- More noteworthy in the breed are interesting ears - long, drooping, with tassels at the ends. They are painted in white and black shades.
- The main instrument of defense are sharp tusks with which adult animals can cut almost any object. They are especially large in males, in females a little smaller in size.
African racehorse pigs prefer to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. In the daytime, they hide in dense shrubs adjacent to ponds or in other vegetation. They go out in search of food when it begins to get dark.
Habitat features
Animals used to lead an active lifestyle. At the slightest danger, they try to escape from the enemy, but if they are forced to, they defend themselves fiercely and fearlessly, protecting the offspring.
Kisteukha pig has a sharp sense of smell, a fairly good mind. Attempts to catch them on poisoned baits most often end in failure.
There are isolated cases of domestication of these animals, mainly in the East of Africa, where semi-free conditions are created for them.
Each family has its own territory, the borders of which are marked by a male: leaves marks on trees and highlights a special secret.
The interaction of this breed of pigs with humans is quite problematic, because animals tend to destroy crops of cultivated plants and other bad habits. The pistachio pig has an aggressive character, but it has very few enemies in the wild, because the main predator - the leopard that hunted it, was driven out by humans from its habitats.
Breeding
In one flock led by a leader there are several females and piglets. Such a family may consist of 15 individuals. The female carries offspring on average 4.5 months, bringing from 1 to 6 piglets. The pig feeds piglets for 2-4 months, after which they gradually feed the same way as adults. Sexual maturity in African rosacea pigs occurs in 3-4 years.
African racehorse pigs nest before birth and look like haystacks. A few hours after birth, the piglets can follow the mother. Adult females and males from the family look after them. First, piglets drink mother’s milk, then feed on the flock’s common feed. In the wild, African pigs live about 15-20 years.
Nutrition
The animal is quite unpretentious in nutrition - it can eat almost any food. Most common for them is eating various fruits, tubers and roots. They also feed on insects, larvae and other invertebrate animals.
If the pig is lucky enough to find some carrion, she will eat her too. Today, when the breed is a little domesticated, it can eat grapes, pineapple and other cultivated plants.
Disease
Scientific studies have found that animals suffer from African plague. The disease was first recorded in Africa at the beginning of the last century. And the first carriers of the plague were wild local pigs, including carpaceae. Then African swine fever began to spread in some countries of Southern Europe and America, and at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries it migrated to almost the entire territory. Today, the disease is already found in Russia, Asia, Western and Eastern Europe.
African swine fever occurs in affected animals, depending on the form of the disease. In the fast course of the disease, the pig dies almost immediately, in the acute and subacute course, the disease is determined by several signs: shortness of breath, fever, hind limb paralysis, weakness, vomiting, etc. The mortality rate from the disease is from 50 to 100%.
Since most of the wild pigs lead a herd life, the African plague can spread very quickly due to close contact in the herd.
The African racehorse pig is an amazing wild animal that is characterized by an interesting appearance and aggressive character. She is opposed to people, but it also happened that a man taught an animal. Beasts feed on almost everything that gets in their way, this allows them to survive in the wild.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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