"in which to live and rear its young. It receives a ""least concern"" rating from the IUCN, although its numbers seem to be decreasing. The aardvark is sometimes colloquially called ""African ant bear"", ""anteater"" (not to be confused with the South American anteater), or the ""Cape anteater"" after the Cape of Good Hope. The name ""aardvark"" () comes from earlier Afrikaans (erdvark) and means ""earth pig"" or ""ground pig"" (""aarde"": earth/ground, ""vark"": pig), because of its burrowing habits. The name ""Orycteropus"" means burrowing foot, and the name ""afer"" refers to Africa. The name of the aardvarks's order, ""Tubulidentata,"" comes from"
"Guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (""Cavia porcellus""), also known as cavy or domestic cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus ""Cavia"". Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family Suidae, nor do they come from Guinea in Africa, and the origin of their name is still unclear; they originated in the Andes of South America and studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such as ""C. tschudii"", and therefore do not exist naturally in"
"Pig A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae. Pigs include the domestic pig and its ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (""Sus scrofa""), along with other species. Related creatures outside the genus include the peccary, the babirusa, and the warthog. Pigs, like all suids, are native to the Eurasian and African continents. Juvenile pigs are known as piglets. Pigs are highly social and intelligent animals. With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domestic pig is among the most populous large mammals in the world. Pigs are omnivores"
"and into Russian as ""морская свинка"". This derives from the Middle High German name ""merswin"". This originally meant ""dolphin"" and was used because of the animals' grunting sounds (which were thought to be similar). Many other, possibly less scientifically based explanations of the German name exist. For example, sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat. The French term is ""cochon d'Inde"" (Indian pig) or ""cobaye""; the Dutch call it ""Guinees biggetje"" (Guinean piglet) or cavia (while in some Dutch dialects it is"
"means thorn pig. Its roots derive from the Latin words ""porcus"" or pig and ""spina"" meaning thorns. Other colloquial names for the animal include quill pig. It is also referred to as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine. The porcupine's scientific name, ""Erethizon dorsatum"", can be loosely translated as ""the animal with the irritating back"". Several Native American names exist, such as the Lakota name ""pahin"" meaning quill and the Chipewyan name ""ts'l"". The North American porcupine migrated from South America, where all New World porcupines or hystricomorphs evolved. ""Erethizon"" appeared in North America shortly after the two continents joined"
"unrelated erinaceomorph hedgehogs and Australian monotreme echidnas. The name ""porcupine"" comes from Latin ""porcus"" pig + ""spina"" spine, quill, via Old Italian—Middle French—Middle English. A regional American name for the animal is quill pig. Fossils belonging to the genus ""Hystrix"" date back to the late Miocene of Africa. A porcupine is any of 58 species of rodents belonging to the families Erethizontidae (genera: ""Coendou"", ""Erethizon"", and ""Chaetomys"") or Hystricidae (genera: ""Atherurus"", ""Hystrix"", and ""Trichys""). Porcupines vary in size considerably: Rothschild's porcupine of South America weighs less than a kilogram (2.2 lb); the crested porcupine found in Italy, Sicily, North Africa,"
"about fifteen years in the wild. Red river hog The red river hog (""Potamochoerus porcus""), also known as the bush pig (but not to be confused with ""P. larvatus"", common name ""bushpig""), is a wild member of the pig family living in Africa, with most of its distribution in the Guinean and Congolian forests. It is rarely seen away from rainforests, and generally prefers areas near rivers or swamps. The red river hog has striking orange to reddish-brown fur, with black legs and a tufted white stripe along the spine. Adults have white markings around the eyes and on the"
"the aardwolf, yellow baboon, bat, Cape buffalo, bushbaby, bushbuck, caracal, African wildcat, cheetah, civet, dik-dik, African hunting dog, African dormouse, blue duiker, bush duiker, red duiker, eland, African bush elephant, bat-eared fox, greater galago, gazelle, large-spotted genet, small-spotted genet, gerenuk, giraffe, African hare, springhare, Coke's hartebeest, East African hedgehog, spotted hyena, striped hyena, rock hyrax, tree hyrax, impala, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, klipspringer, lesser kudu, leopard, lion, banded mongoose, dwarf mongoose, Egyptian mongoose, marsh mongoose, slender mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, vervet monkey, Sykes' monkey, fringe-eared oryx, clawless otter, ground pangolin, crested porcupine, cane rat, giant rat, naked mole rat, ratel, bohor"
"Hippopotamus The common hippopotamus (""Hippopotamus amphibius""), or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (""Choeropsis liberiensis"" or ""Hexaprotodon liberiensis""). The name comes from the ancient Greek for ""river horse"" (). After the elephant and rhinoceros, the common hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged"
"identified by the Institute Armand Frappier in 1978, and Charles River Laboratories has reproduced this breed for research since 1982. Cavy fanciers then began acquiring hairless breeds, and the pet hairless varieties are referred to as ""skinny pigs"". Guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (""Cavia porcellus""), also known as cavy or domestic cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus ""Cavia"". Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family Suidae, nor do they come from Guinea in Africa, and the origin of their name is still unclear;"
"Surprise egg"" of the Italian chocolate company Ferrero SpA. Hippopotamus The common hippopotamus (""Hippopotamus amphibius""), or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous, semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus (""Choeropsis liberiensis"" or ""Hexaprotodon liberiensis""). The name comes from the ancient Greek for ""river horse"" (). After the elephant and rhinoceros, the common hippopotamus is the third-largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant artiodactyl. Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, the closest living relatives of the Hippopotamidae are"
"Bushpig The bushpig (""Potamochoerus larvatus"") is a member of the pig family and lives in forests, woodland, riverine vegetation and reedbeds in East and Southern Africa. Probably introduced populations are also present in Madagascar. There have also been unverified reports of their presence on the Comoro island of Mayotte. Bushpigs are mainly nocturnal. There are several subspecies. Adult bushpigs stand from at the shoulder, and weigh from . They resemble the domestic pig, and can be identified by their blunt, muscular snouts, small eyes, pointed, tufted ears and buckled toes. Their colour varies from reddish brown to dark brown and"
"Red river hog The red river hog (""Potamochoerus porcus""), also known as the bush pig (but not to be confused with ""P. larvatus"", common name ""bushpig""), is a wild member of the pig family living in Africa, with most of its distribution in the Guinean and Congolian forests. It is rarely seen away from rainforests, and generally prefers areas near rivers or swamps. The red river hog has striking orange to reddish-brown fur, with black legs and a tufted white stripe along the spine. Adults have white markings around the eyes and on the cheeks and jaws; the rest of"
"North African ostrich (""Struthio camelus camelus"", LC); ferruginous duck (""Aythya nyroca"", NT); lesser flamingo (""Phoenicopterus minor"", NT); white-backed vulture (""Gyps africanus"", NT); Rueppell's griffon (""Gyps rueppellii"", NT); pallid harrier (""Circus macrourus"", NT); red kite (""Milvus milvus"", NT); Stanley bustard (""Neotis denhami"", NT); Nubian bustard (""Neotis nuba"", NT); corn crake (""Crex crex"", NT); black crowned crane (""Balearica pavonina"", NT); Eurasian curlew (""Numenius arquata"", NT); black-tailed godwit (""Limosa limosa"", NT); great snipe (""Gallinago media"", NT); African skimmer (""Rynchops flavirostris"", NT); European roller (""Coracias garrulus"", NT); red-footed falcon (""Falco vespertinus"", NT); sooty falcon (""Falco concolor"", NT); white-headed vulture (""Trigonoceps occipitalis"", VU); Beaudouin's snake-eagle"
"Feral pig The feral pig (from Latin ""fera"", ""a wild beast"") is a pig (""Sus scrofa"") living in the wild, but which has descended from escaped domesticated individuals in both the Old and New Worlds. Razorback and wild hog are American colloquialisms, loosely applied to any type of feral domestic pig, wild boar, or hybrid in North America; pure wild boar are sometimes called ""Russian boar"" or ""Russian razorbacks"". The term ""razorback"" has also appeared in Australia, to describe feral pigs there. A feral pig is a domestic pig that has escaped or been released into the wild, and is"
"hunted for bushmeat. It also faces competition at waterholes and for grazing with domestic livestock. <br> Desert warthog The desert warthog (""Phacochoerus aethiopicus"") is a species of even-toed ungulate in the pig family (Suidae), found in northern Kenya and Somalia, and possibly Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali warthog (""P. a. delamerei""). Another subspecies, commonly known as the Cape warthog (""P. a. aethiopicus""), became extinct around 1865, but formerly occurred in South Africa. Fossils have been found from the Holocene epoch showing that two divergent lines of warthogs (""Phacochoerus"""
"in the 19th and 20th centuries that the epithet ""guinea pig"" came into use to describe a human test subject. Since that time, they have been largely replaced by other rodents such as mice and rats. However, they are still used in research, primarily as models for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy (like humans, they must get vitamin C), and pregnancy complications. The scientific name of the common species is ""Cavia porcellus"", with """" being Latin for ""little pig"". ""Cavia"" is New Latin; it is derived from ""cabiai"", the animal's name in the language of the"
"and can consume a wide range of food. Biologically, pigs are very similar to humans, thus are frequently used for human medical research. The ""Online Etymology Dictionary"" provides anecdotal evidence as well as linguistic, saying that the term derives probably from Old English *""picg"", found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Originally ""young pig"" (the word for adults was ""swine""). Apparently related to Low German ""bigge"", Dutch ""big"" (""but the phonology is difficult"" -- ""OED""). ... Another Old English word for ""pig"" was ""fearh"", related to ""furh"" ""furrow,"" from PIE *""perk""- ""dig, furrow"" (source also of Latin ""porc-us"" ""pig,"" see ""pork"")."
"Entelodont Entelodonts — sometimes facetiously termed hell pigs or terminator pigs — are an extinct family of pig-like omnivores of the forests and plains of North America, Europe, and Asia from the late Eocene to middle Miocene epochs (37.2—15.97 million years ago), existing for about 21.23 million years. The Entelodontidae were named by Richard Lydekker and assigned to Nonruminantia by Gregory (1910). They were then assigned to Artiodactyla by Lucas et al. (1998) and to Entelodontoidea by Carroll (1988) and Boisserie et al. (2005). While entelodonts have long been classified as members of the Suina, Spaulding et al. have found"
"many other parts of the world (e.g. New Zealand and northern Queensland) and have caused substantial environmental damage. Feral hybrids of the European wild boar with the domestic pig are also very disruptive to both environment and agriculture (among the 100 most damaging animal species), especially in southeastern South America from Uruguay to Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul (Center-West Region), and São Paulo (state) (Southeast Region), where they are known as (from ""javali"" and ""porco"", thus ""boar-pigs""). With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domesticated pig is one of the most numerous large mammals on the planet."
"predator of the American Badlands, and how it evolved into the even larger ""Daeodon"" (""Dinohyus""). Entelodont Entelodonts — sometimes facetiously termed hell pigs or terminator pigs — are an extinct family of pig-like omnivores of the forests and plains of North America, Europe, and Asia from the late Eocene to middle Miocene epochs (37.2—15.97 million years ago), existing for about 21.23 million years. The Entelodontidae were named by Richard Lydekker and assigned to Nonruminantia by Gregory (1910). They were then assigned to Artiodactyla by Lucas et al. (1998) and to Entelodontoidea by Carroll (1988) and Boisserie et al. (2005). While"
"Pig (zodiac) The Pig (豬) is the twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. In the continuous sexagenary cycle, every twelfth year corresponds to ""hai"", and is also commonly called the ""Year of the Pig"" 豬. There are also five types of Pigs, named after the Chinese elements. In order, they are: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. In the Japanese zodiac and the Tibetan zodiac, the Pig is replaced by the boar. In the Dai zodiac, the Pig is replaced by the elephant. In the Gurung zodiac, the"
"Baudin pig The Baudin Pig is a landrace of domestic pig, originating on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The landrace descended from pigs released on the island in the 1800s. The entirety of the wild stock of the breed was wiped out during the Kangaroo Island bushfires, and the only remaining examples of the breed are kept at a rare breeds farm on the island. The breed is named after Nicolas-Thomas Baudin, one of the possible individuals credited with introducing pigs to Kangaroo Island. Westran Pigs are an inbred form of the breed, crossed with large white, which are used in"
"Aardvark The aardvark ( ; ""Orycteropus afer"") is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is the only living species of the order Tubulidentata, although other prehistoric species and genera of Tubulidentata are known. Unlike other insectivores, it has a long pig-like snout, which is used to sniff out food. It roams over most of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding areas that are mainly rocky. A nocturnal feeder, it subsists on ants and termites, which it will dig out of their hills using its sharp claws and powerful legs. It also digs to create burrows"
"Pig frog The pig frog (""Lithobates grylio"") is a species of aquatic frog found in the Southeastern United States, from South Carolina to Texas. Some sources also refer to it as the lagoon frog or the southern bullfrog. Norwegian-American naturalist Leonhard Stejneger described the pig frog in 1901, and it still bears its original name. The pig frog is green or grey-green in color, with brown or black blotching. It has fully webbed feet, a sharply pointed nose, and large tympana (eardrums). It is easily mistaken for various other species of the genus ""Lithobates"", with which it shares its geographic"
"egret (""Egretta ardesiaca""), purple heron (""Ardea purpurea""), black-headed heron (""Ardea melanocephala""), wooly-necked stork (""Ciconia episcopus""), hamerkop (""Scopus umbretta""), African spoonbill (""Platalea alba""), Egyptian goose (""Alopochen aegyptiacus""), African black duck (""Anas sparsa""), yellow-billed duck (""Anas undulata""), black crake (""Amaurornis flavirostris""), African jacana (""Actophilornis africanus""), long-crested eagle (""Lophaetus occipitalis""), African fish eagle (""Haliaeetus vocifer""), African goshawk (""Accipiter tachiro""), osprey (""Pandion haliaetus""), African harrier-hawk (""Polyboroides typus""), tambourine dove (""Turtur tympanistria""), emerald-spotted dove (""Turtur chalcospilos""), Narina trogon (""Apaloderma narina""), purple-crested turaco (""Tauraco porphyreolophus""), Burchell's coucal (""Centropus superciliosus""), spotted eagle owl (""Bubo africanus""), giant kingfisher (""Megaceryle maxima""), pied kingfisher (""Ceryle rudis""), brown-hooded kingfisher (""Halcyon albiventris""),"
"the Dutch traders who first brought them to Nagasaki in 1843. The other Japanese word for guinea pig, using kanji, is ""tenjiku-nezumi"" (天竺鼠, or てんじくねずみ), which literally translates as ""India rat"". The origin of ""guinea"" in ""guinea pig"" is harder to explain. One proposed explanation is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there. ""Guinea"" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's exotic appeal. Another hypothesis suggests the ""guinea"" in"
"Guinea hog The Guinea hog, also called the pineywoods Guinea, Guinea forest hog, acorn eater, and yard pig, is a breed of domestic pig originating in the United States. Despite its name, the breed is not from the country of Guinea, though the foundation stock is thought to be derived from West Africa. The Guinea hog is a rare breed with a black coat, sturdy body, curly tail and upright ears. Guinea hogs are small pigs compared to modern breeds; they weigh less than 200 pounds and will yield 50 to 100 pounds of meat and fat. They are good"
"Aardwolf The aardwolf (""Proteles cristata"") is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means ""earth-wolf"" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called ""maanhaar-jackal"" (Afrikaans for ""mane-jackal"") or ""civet hyena"", based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet. The aardwolf is in the same family as the hyena. Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. It eats insects and their larvae, mainly termites; one aardwolf can lap up as many as 250,000 termites during a single"
"boar, which is one of the most numerous and widespread large mammals. Its many subspecies are native to all but the harshest climates of continental Eurasia and its islands and Africa as well, from Ireland and India to Japan and north to Siberia. Long isolated from other pigs on the many islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, pigs have evolved into many different species, including wild boar, bearded pigs, and warty pigs. Humans have introduced pigs into Australia, North and South America, and numerous islands, either accidentally as escaped domestic pigs which have gone feral, or as wild boar."
"Potamochoerus Potamochoerus (meaning ""river pig"") is a genus in the pig family (Suidae). The two species are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, although the bushpig, possibly due to introduction by man, also occurs in Madagascar and nearby islands. Early in the 20th century, there were considered to be as many as five different species within the genus. These were gradually consolidated, until, in the 1970s, it was generally agreed that all were representatives of just a single species (""P. porcus""). The bushpig was again recognised as a separate species from about 1993. The oldest fossils that can be assigned to the"
"the farmers have recognized this, but they are still killed, on occasion, for their fur. Dogs and insecticides are also common killers of the aardwolf. Aardwolfs are common sights at zoos. Frankfurt Zoo in Germany was home to the oldest recorded aardwolf in captivity at 18 years and 11 months. Aardwolf The aardwolf (""Proteles cristata"") is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means ""earth-wolf"" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called ""maanhaar-jackal"" (Afrikaans for ""mane-jackal"") or ""civet hyena"", based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with"
"medical research, particularly for xenotransplantation Baudin pig The Baudin Pig is a landrace of domestic pig, originating on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The landrace descended from pigs released on the island in the 1800s. The entirety of the wild stock of the breed was wiped out during the Kangaroo Island bushfires, and the only remaining examples of the breed are kept at a rare breeds farm on the island. The breed is named after Nicolas-Thomas Baudin, one of the possible individuals credited with introducing pigs to Kangaroo Island. Westran Pigs are an inbred form of the breed, crossed with large"