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Habits The warthog lives in a family group called a sounder, consisting of a male and female and one or more successive litters. Its preferred habitat is the open plains and grasslands of Africa, especially when there is a good water source in which it can wallow and drink. It has also been found in the aird Sahel region, bordering the Sahara desert. The warthog makes its den either under a rock or in a sheltered burrow, but, more often, it will sleep and breed in abandoned aardvark dens. When the family enters the underground den, the young climb down head first. An adult is always last to enter, and slides in backwards, facing the enterance with its tusks should any predator try to attack. The warthog is renowend for its courage and ferocity in defending its family. The combination of speed, and two sets of tusks is enough to fend off most predators. Althought is has poor eyesight, it has a good sense of smell and acute hearing. The warthog's only real threat comes from lions and leopards. Adult males, or boars, occasionally fight among themselves, putting on a good show of bravado. With manes bristling and heads lowered, the boars will push and shove, trying to unbalance their opponent. Their tusks can inflict severe wounds.
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