Potamochoerus porcus (Artiodactyla: Suidae)

Potamochoerus porcus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a monotypic suid commonly known as the red river hog. It is 1 of 2 species in the genus Potamochoerus and among the smallest and most plesiomorphic (ancestral) of the 8 African suids. This is the brightest colored wild pig species and is identified by its rufous coat and white dorsal crest; spectacled black-and-white facemask; and elongated, leaf-shaped ears that end in terminally drooping tufts of hair. P. porcus lives in damp forests throughout the rainforest belt of western and central Africa; it never ranges far from thick vegetative cover, soft soils, and water. Although P. porcus is commonly harvested for subsistence and urban bushmeat markets, it is considered of “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.