Giant forest hog
Hylochoerus meinertzhageni
Key identification features
Very large black pig with skin swellings below the eyes and across the cheeks. HB 150-170 cm. Wt 100-250 kg.
Habitat and social behaviour
Found in small families of 5 - 10 individuals. Mainly a forest species but also found in savanna bushland. A Central African species, its presence has not been confirmed in Tanzania, though possibly occurs in the forests in the far NW of the country. Widespread reports of Giant Forest Hog from Ngorongoro are based on misidentifications of large male bushpigs.
Similar species
Bushpig boars can also be very large and almost entirely black, but they lack the characteristic swellings below the eye.