In 2019, a researcher visiting a French zoo discovered that Visayan warty pigs actively used tools to dig holes! This is a very significant study, because such manifestations of intelligence have never been noticed in pigs. Only this observation was made almost at the last moment: this species became extinct in 96% of its range. 
Such brutal guys, but they are dying out.
Once upon a time, warty pigs lived on the 6 largest islands of the Visayas archipelago - part of the Philippines. But the locals are too keen on plowing the land and cutting down tropical forests. Pigs eat fruits and tubers. They were forced to come to human farms in search of food, which angered the locals. 
You can’t even hide from you in the water!
Hunters added fuel to the fire. The islanders could not resist harvesting well-fed hogs weighing 40-80 kilograms each. As a result: the Visayas warty pig has become completely extinct on 4 of the 6 islands. On two more, several scattered populations of the species remain. 
I know you're drooling over my ham!
And the most unpleasant thing is that we still know almost nothing about pigs. The species was discovered almost 140 years ago, but gaps in knowledge about their lifestyle are huge. These are very secretive animals that are difficult to observe. Therefore, almost all knowledge about the species is based on the study of Visayan pigs from zoos. 
All the photographs in this article feature zoo pigs. It is almost impossible to photograph them in the wild.
Apparently, they live in small groups of 3 to 12 individuals. The herd consists of 1 male, 1-2 females and their offspring, 3-4 piglets from each female. During the day, the pig family rests somewhere in the shade, and at night goes out in search of food. During the feeding process, the animals try to stay close and grunt with each other. 
They stay close and grunt. Everything seems to be correct.
In January, when the rainy season ends, the males give free rein to their brute force. Guys win girls' attention with a good old-fashioned fang fight. The strongest and most fanged male with impressive warts on his face wins. They are also useful in a fight, because they protect the skull from injury. 
The bump behind the heel is where those warts are located.
After less than 4 months, towards the end of pregnancy, the females will take digging sticks in their mouths. Yes, this is exactly why pigs use tools - animals use them to create a shelter for piglets. 
Piglets will learn to chew solid food within a week after birth. But the mother will feed them milk for about 3 months.
Eeyore. This is all! We do not know about the peculiarities of their communication within the group and about the interaction of the herds with each other. We cannot even say for sure whether they use tools in other areas of life. But the species is already on the verge of extinction. Fewer than 500 Visayas pigs live in the wild. Question: How many similar discoveries were not made because the animals became extinct before they could be studied?
0 comments
