Rob Smetana, age 12, of Bellevue, Wash,, for is question:
Does a wart hog have warts?
Yes, the poor fellow does have warts. And of all places, he has them right on his face where they are most noticeable. He has four very large warts arranged in two pairs down the sides of his long snout, This is how he got his name,
Tae wart hog is one of the wild pigs of Africa, He would not be a handsome fellow, even without his warts. His long, piggy face is covered with folds of. baggy skin and set with a pair of mean little eyes. A pair of tusks sprout from near the end of his long, swayback snout. These tusks curve out and up like a villain’s moustache.
This ugly head is even more noticeable since it is way too big for the rest of the wart hogs body. His sturdy body is propped on skinny short legs and ends in a stringy tail which he often carries straight up in the air. The dirty brown body has but a few dark hairs and a dark bristly mane straggles over the head and shoulders. Full grown, the wart hog may stand three feet at shoulder level and weigh about 200 pounds,
If we wanted to select the most unbeautiful animal on four feet, most of the judges would cast their votes for the wart hog. Nevertheless, the wart hog is a stout hearted fellow. He enjoys life on the grassy plains of northeastern and central Africa. This is lion country, and old Warty Face gives a good account of himself and takes good care of his family. He is usually met traveling in small groups of six to ten relatives.
The wart hog is a night prowler and prefers to rest in some shady place through the heat of the day. Though you would not guess it to look at him, he is a very agile animal. He can run fast on those spindly legs and he is an excellent swimmer.
Like all pigs, he will eat almost anything. He gets meat when he can catch it, eats fruit, nuts, leaves and uses his tusks to root up tubers. Sometimes he is seen grazing along with a herd of zebras.
In a fight, the wart hogs tusks and powerful muscles make him a dangerous, foe. He tries to avoid battle with the lions by keeping shyly out of sight. But, when pounced upon, a wart hog in his prime can sometimes rip himself free from even a lion.
The wart hog is usually shy of men, But if he decides to fight he is more than a match for an unarmed man, He charges bravely, all ready to rip and gore with his short, powerful tusks. In the main, the wart hog would rather avoid fighting of any sort and enjoy a quiet life on the grassy plains of his African home.