Visayan Warty Pig

Image: auntie rain
Sus cebifrons

It's the porcine punk monk!

The Visayan Warty Pig is a critically endangered and marvellously barmy pig found in a few patches of two islands in the Philippines.

Image: guppiecat
ELVIS LIVES!

That wonderful, centre-parted mane flopping over half his face is at its most glorious in the males of Panay Island during the breeding season. Females don't bother with this ridiculous extravagance. Why would they? Why would anyone?

That's the thing about males... we'll compete over ANYTHING! If you can't boast about how amazing and great you are, boast about how incredibly rubbish you are, instead. Or how you almost lost a leg last week because THAT'S how bad your flu was.

Image: kfjmiller
Ayyyy! It's The Fonz: The Later Years!

These pigs have it pretty bad themselves; they've lost some 95% of their dense, forest habitat to agriculture and the like. Little is known of their habits in the wild, though they like to wallow in mud in captivity and will snuffle through the ground looking for fruits, vegetables and earthworms to dig up and eat.

Despite the name, warts aren't a huge problem for the Visayan Warty Pig. The males have 3 pairs of them but they're quite small and might help protect their face from the tusks of rivals. I wonder if fights only break out after strenuous hairstyle comparison indicates that they're equally cool?

If all goes well, the male will be able to go about with several females in tow. Just don't touch the hair. These females are about 1m (3.3 ft) long, males somewhat larger.

Visayan Warty Piglets

Around 3 piglets are born somewhere between January and March. They're adorable, bundles of energy and won't reach maturity for 2 or 3 years...

Bebop!

But once they do, it's glorious!