Uh-oh, they called him a pig

Since yesterday's fact was all about Timon, how could I follow with anthing but Pumbaa? So let's go learn something about Mr. Pig. The warthog, or Phacochoerus africanus, is a wild member of the pig family that lives in Sub-Saharan Africa. They live in grassland, savanna, and woodland. Its common name derives from the four large wart-like bumbs found on the head or the warthog, which serve as both a defense when the males fight as well as a fat reserve.

Warthogs range in size from 3-5 feet in length and weigh between 110-175 pounds. The two pair of tusks protruding from its mouth and curving upwards are the characteristic traits of the warthog. The lower pair, which is shorter than the upper pair, becomes razor sharp as it rubs against the upper pair every time the mouth is opened and closed. The upper tusks can grow to be up to 9 inches long and almost an inch wide. These tusks are used for digging, for combat with other hogs, and in defence against predators. The razor sharp lower tusks are more than capable of inflicting severe wounds...To think that at it's worst, Disney's version of a warthog could clear the savanna after every meal due to gas, not razor sharp tusks. Warthog ivory is taken from the constantly growing canine teeth and are carved predominantly for the tourist trade in Africa.

The warthog is the only member of the pig family that has successfully adapted to grazing and to savanna habitats. It is an omnivore, feeting on grass, roots, berries, bark, fungi, insects, eggs, and carrion. During the wet season, they mostly eat short perennial grasses. In the dry season, they live mostly off of bulbs and nutritious roots. They are powerful diggers, using both their snout and their feet to dig. In order to cope with the high temperatures, warthogs wallow in mud. Inversely, to cope with low temperatures, they will often huddle together.
Lions, humans, leopards, crocodiles, and hyenas all prey upon warthogs. Cheetahs are capable of taking down small warthogs. If a female warthog has piglets to defend, however, she will do so very aggressively. Their razor sharp tusks can cause some pretty bad damage, even causing predators like lions to bleed to death from injuries. It seems that the hyenas had the right idea when they ran away from an angry Pumbaa...

Warthogs occupy a home range in groups called sounders. Females live in these sounders with their young and other females, and tend to stay in the natal groups. Males, on the other hand, tend to leave the natal group but remain within the home range. Sows are seasonal breeders, and have an average of 2-4 piglets a litter. A sow will nurse foster piglets if they lose their own litter. I must admit, the little guys are pretty cute, or at least not ugly.

CHEETAH TIME!!!
As I mentioned, cheetahs do occassionally hunt warthogs. This video does end in a successful kill, just to warn you, but it does showcase how dangerous the warthog can be to the cheetah as well.