Babirusa Credit
The Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) is a very special member of the pig family.
Up until now the relationship between the Babirusa and the other pig
species hasn't been resolved completely. There are pieces of research,
which suggest the conclusion, that it is closely related to
Hippopotamuses, close relatives of pigs themselves. The babirusa is
a very strange looking member of the pig family. They are only
distantly related to other pigs, and have been given their own
subfamily, the Babirousinae.
There are three subspecies of the
Babirusa corresponding to the areas where they are found; the Sulawesi,
Togian, and Moluccan babirusa. These subspecies have different hair
covering, hair color, and tusk and body sizes. Fossil studies seem to
show that the babirusa may be more closely related to hippopotamuses
than pigs. The name babirusa in Malay means "pig-deer".
It got this name from its bizarre tusks.
The babirusa is usually a solitary animal, although it will sometimes live in small groups. Its habits are duirnal,
and it tends to feed in the morning. Like most other pigs it loves to wallow in mud baths to rid itself of
parasites. In the past babirusa were kept by rulers in Sulawesi and
given as gifts to visiting diplomats. Masks of Balinese demons often
resemble the stangely tusked babirusa.
Unfortunately the future doesn't look good for this amazing creature. They have always been scarce, but are an endangered species
today. Although the babirusa avoids farmlands, and isn't persucuted by
farmers, it is a favorite target for poachers. Their limited and small
pockets of rainforests are also being converted into agriculture. Their
wild population is estimated at around 4,000 to 5,000 animals. The IUCN
put them on their vulnerable list in 1996, and the U.S. ESA considers
them endangered They are on CITES Appendix I. Source
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