Order Artiodactyla Genus Sus Higher classification Pig | Phylum Chordata Scientific name Sus barbatus Rank Species | |
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Similar Pig, Celebes warty pig, Javan warty pig, Visayan warty pig, Mammal | ||
Bornean bearded pigs
The Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus), also known ambiguously as the bearded pig, is a species in the pig genus, Sus.
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It can be recognized by its prominent beard. It also sometimes has tassels on its tail. It is found in Southeast Asia—Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, and various smaller islands like in Sulu archipelago. where it inhabits rainforests and mangrove forests. The bearded pig lives in a family. It can reproduce from the age of 18 months, and can be cross-bred with other species in the family Suidae. The San Diego Zoo was the first zoo in the Western Hemisphere to breed them. As of January 2016, it is held in the London Zoo, Berlin Zoo, Hellabrunn Zoo, Gladys Porter Zoo, National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara), Zoo Taiping, Singapore Zoo, Capital of Texas Zoo, and Southwick's Zoo.
Bornean bearded pig
Subspecies
The two subspecies of this pig are:
As traditionally defined, the nominate is from Borneo, and S. b. oi is from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Genetic evidence suggests this is incorrect, and S. b. oi is better limited to Sumatra, leaving bearded pigs from both Borneo and the Malay Peninsula in the nominate subspecies. Those from Bangka Island appear somewhat intermediate between the two subspecies.
The Palawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) has formerly been considered a subspecies of the bearded pig. However, as indicated by its genetic and morphological distinctness, under the phylogenetic species concept (which does not use subspecies) it needs to be elevated to full species status; while the situation is less clear under other species concepts (as not all S. barbatus populations have been restudied in modern times), the presently available information seems to favor full species status for S. ahoenobarbus in any case.