If warthogs were to be assessed simply in terms of appearance, we would have to conclude that their value lay primarily in an amusement and curiosity factor, for warthogs are, in no uncertain terms, ugly. In addition to the predicament of their facial blemishes, they have protruding teeth and spindly legs which, in defiance of gravity somehow manage to support their stocky and elongated bodies. They also have a very sparse and wiry coat, except about their hairy knees and manes, and they grunt when they're alarmed. Warthogs have bad eyesight and when they run, they hold their tasselled and puny tails in the air like aerials.
Warthogs are very family-orientated and tend to move around in groups called sounders.
These sounders usually consist of a male, one or two females and their offspring. Although young warthogs are driven off when new piglets are born, the female offspring often return to their mothers later and occasionally stay with them throughout their lives. Piglets are born after a gestation period of five and a half months and litters usually consist of between one and eight. The warthog's diet is primarily made up of grass, roots and berries, although they have also been known to eat the occasional snake and frog. Because they have such short necks, warthogs have to kneel in order to drink and eat, and they use their tusks and snouts to dig for roots and tubers in the ground - particularly in dry seasons when water is scarce.