Hairy Babirusa

• The male's upper tusks grow up through the top of the snout, curving back like antlers.
• The female has only two teats, so she rarely bears more than one or two piglets.
• Its complex, ruminant-like stomach points to a diet rich in plant fibre.
• anatomíaMales grow upper tusks that curve up and back, and which can pierce their own face if they do not wear down naturally.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Swampy and moist forest near lake and river shores on the islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru in Indonesia

Birth weight

380 - 1,050 grams

Size at birth

Precocial, without the camouflage stripes most pigs have, able to eat solid food at 3-10 days

Sexual maturity

5-10 months (though field studies suggest it may be delayed to 1-2 years in the wild)

Gestation / incubation

150-157 days (~5 months)

Litter / clutch size

1 to 2 young per litter — exceptionally few for a pig, since the female has only two teats

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 22.9-24 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge; Animal Diversity Web; Scientific Papers USAMV; Louisville Zoo; Animalia.bio; Ultimate Ungulate; White Oak Conservation; Website of Everything; The Animal Facts

Best time: All year round on the islands of Buru and Sula, by day; it visits the salt licks deep in the forest regularly.