The Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis ) is one of four known species in the pig genus (Sus ) endemic to the Philippines. It has multiple native common names, but it is most widely known as baboy damo ("bush pig") in Tagalog.
Philippine warty pigs have two pairs of warts, with a tuft of hair extending outwards from warts closest to the jaw.
Philippine warty pigs are native to the western islands of the Philippines. The original distribution of this species covered the western islands of the Philippines. Their range included Luzon, Biliran, Samar, Leyte, Mindoro, Mindanao, Jolo, Polillo, Catanduanes, and possibly other islands. The warty pigs in Lubang Island and its outlying islands may be a distinct species. Philippine warty pigs formerly lived in most habitats (from sea level to up to 2800 m) but now are confined only to remote forests.
Little is known about the habits of Philippine warty pigs due to their remote existence. Generally, pigs are social in their nature. They have a well-developed sense of hearing and an acute sense of smell. They are vocal animals and communicate with a series of grunts, squeals, and similar sounds.
Pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. In the wild, they eat leaves, grass, roots, fruits, and flowers, in addition to some insects and other animal matter.
There is also a lack of information about the mating system and reproductive behavior of this species.
The main threats to the Philippine warty pigs include hunting and loss of their natural habitat from deforestation and uncontrolled logging and hunting. Due to loss of habitat, Philippine warty pigs, have been forced into close contact with domestic pigs (the domesticated variety of the non-endemic Eurasian wild boar), and hybridization between the two species has been reported; this accordingly poses another serious threat to Philippine warty pigs.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Philippine warty pig total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
