Guinea hog

Sus scrofa

About the Guinea hog

conservation status: critically endangered

Geographic Range:

Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus
Species: scrofa

With their bristly black hair, curly tails and stout bodies, Guinea hogs have plenty of personality! These good-tempered, social pigs live in groups and use their excellent sense of smell and flexible snouts to root around for food. They’re omnivores that eat a variety of plants and small animals, and they’ve even been kept for pest control because they can help manage mice and rats. Since they can’t sweat, Guinea hogs cool off by rolling in mud. Though they’ve spread to farms around the world, this domestic breed is endangered as farmers increasingly favor more common hog breeds.

Guinea Hog Facts

Appearance:
A guinea hog is a medium-sized pig with black bristly hair and a curly tail. They have a blocky stout body and a slightly arched back. Their eyes are set forward on the face and they have medium-sized erect ears.

Size:
Weight: 100 to 300 pounds
Height: 1.8 to 2.3 feet tall
Length: 3.8 to 4.7 feet long

Diet:
Guinea hogs are omnivores and will eat a wide variety of plants and small animals. They're often kept as a pest control animal for their ability to eat mice and rats.

Reproduction:
Guinea hogs don't have a set breeding season. After a 115-120 day gestation, mothers give birth to up to 10 piglets who reach sexual maturity around 2 years of age.

Behavior:
Guinea hogs are good-tempered animals that have excellent mothering skills. They're gregarious and live in large groups. They have a flexible snout and a good sense of smell that they use to root around to find food. They're unable to sweat so they roll in mud to cool down.

Habitat/Range:
Guinea hogs are a domestic species originally from West Africa. Now they have spread through farms in Africa, Europe and the United States.

Median Life Expectancy:
Their captive life expectancy has been recorded up to 10 to 15 years.

Threats:
Compared to more common breeds of hog, the guinea hog is an endangered breed due to its small size. More common breeds of hog are being kept more often by farmers and several variations of the guinea hog breed have already gone extinct.