Warthog

The common warthog or warthog is a wild member of the pig family found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P. aethiopicus, but today that scientific name is restricted to the desert warthog of northern Kenya, Somalia, and eastern Ethiopia. The common name comes from the four large, wart-like protrusions found on the head of the warthog, which serve as a fat reserve and are used for defense when males fight. The generic name is a compound of 'phaco-' and 'choerus' meaning 'wart' and 'hog'. Afrikaans-speaking people call the animal vlakvark, meaning "pig of the plains".