Giant Forest Hog

The giant forest hog is found in portions of West Africa and Central Africa and can be found as far east in Africa as Mount Kenya and the Ethiopian Highlands. It is the largest member of the pig family and can get as heavy as 600 pounds. It has extensive hair which gets less pronounced as it ages. The hair nearest the skin can be a deep orange color. It has large pointy ears and its tusks flare outward. It has large cheek pads near its eyes. It is mostly nocturnal, but is sometimes diurnal in protected areas, like where we were, on Mt. Kenya. We viewed a giant forest hog from our lodge on Mt. Kenya. It had quite a large tusk, but was missing one on one side. It had long shaggy orange hair. We originally thought it was a warthog, but our guide later suggested to us that it was likely a giant forest hog as warthogs are not found in that area. 

Giant forest hog at Mt. Kenya NR. Photo by Michael Lewin.

Photo by Mark Edwards