Phacochoerus aethiopicus
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The desert warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) is a mammalian, artiodactyl-ungulate species of the pig and swine family (Suidae) native to the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. Fossils have been found from the Holocene epoch showing that two divergent lines of warthogs (Phacochoerus spp.) were in existence thousands of years ago. The ancestors of the present-day common warthog (P. africanus) had a different number of incisors from the ancestors of the desert warthog (P. aethiopicus) line. During the late 19th century, P. aethiopicus became extinct in South Africa. Subsequently, study of mDNA and morphological analysis has shown that the East African population of warthogs, previously thought to be a variant of the common warthog, are, in fact, surviving members of the putatively extinct P. aethiopicus.
The desert warthog is a stockily... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Warthog sighting in Meru National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and June–July
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Desert Warthog in Meru National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February and October–December, the lowest months. Those are among Meru National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 200 mm in November.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Desert Warthog sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Desert Warthog sightings, Meru National Park ranks 3rd at about 50%. The best odds are in Samburu National Reserve (Kenya, about 70%) and Tsavo East National Park (Kenya, about 50%).
Same order: Artiodactyla
The closest relatives of the Desert Warthog that you can see in Meru National Park (order Artiodactyla, Even-toed Ungulates and Cetaceans) are Reticulated Giraffe (about 80%), Waterbuck (about 70%) and Grant's Gazelle (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Desert Warthog is recorded against all the mammals logged in Meru National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
