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Pygmy Hog

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Porcula
Hodgson, 1847
Species: P. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Organisms with a conservation status of critically endangered have an extremely high risk of becoming extinct The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about Suidae is the biological family to which Pigs and their relatives belong Brian Houghton Hodgson ( February 1, 1800 – May 23, 1894) was an early naturalist and Ethnologist working in British salvania
Binomial name
Porcula salvania
Hodgson, 1847
Synonyms
Sus salvanius

Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. Brian Houghton Hodgson ( February 1, 1800 – May 23, 1894) was an early naturalist and Ethnologist working in British In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. The Kingdom of Bhutan (buːˈtɑːn is a Landlocked nation in South Asia. Assam) ( Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a suburb of the city The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer. Recent conservation measures have increased the prospect of survival in the wild of this critically endangered species.

Contents

Description and biology

They are about 55 to 71 cm long and stand at 20-30 cm with a tail of 2. 5 cm. They weigh 6. 6 to 11. 8 kilograms. Their skin is dark brownish black and the fur is dark. Piglets are born grayish-pink becoming brown with yellow stripes along the body length. The head is sharply tapered and they have a slight crest of hair on the forehead and on the back of the neck. Adult males have the upper canines visible on the sides of the mouth. They live for about 8 years, becoming sexually mature at 1-2 years. They breed seasonally before the monsoons giving birth to a litter of 3-6 after a gestation of 100 days. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months In the wild they make small nests by digging a small trench and lining it with vegetation. During the heat of the day they stay within these nests. They feed on roots, tubers, insects, rodents, and small reptiles.

Taxonomy

The species was first described as the only member of the genus Porcula (Hodgson, 1847), but was then regarded as the closest relative of the Eurasian pig Sus scrofa and named Sus salvanius (Oliver, 1980; Oliver & Deb Roy, 1993). Hodgson is a surname In Britain the Hodgson surname was the 173rd most common (766 per million in 1881 and the 206th most common (650 per million in 1998 New genetic analysis of a large section of mitochondrial DNA supports with high statistical power the original classification of the pygmy hog as a unique genus (Funk et al. , 2007). The resurrection of the original genus status and the species name Porcula salvania has been adopted by GenBank. The GenBank Sequence database is an Open access, annotated collection of all publicly available Nucleotide sequences and their Protein translations

Status

The pygmy hog is the sole representative of Porcula, making the conservation of this critically endangered species even more important as its extinction would result in the loss of a unique evolutionary branch of pigs. They used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh to Assam, through Nepal and north Bengal. However, human encroachment has largely destroyed the natural habitat of the pygmy hog by development, agriculture, domestic grazing and deliberate fires. Only one viable population remains in the Manas Tiger Reserve, but even there threats due to livestock grazing, poaching and fire persist. The total wild population has been estimated as less than 150 animals and the species is listed as "critically endangered" (Oliver, 1980; Oliver & Deb Roy, 1993; Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Status Survey and Action Plan, 1993; Narayan, 2006). Their rarity contrasts greatly with the massive population of wild boars (Sus scrofa) in India. The boar or wild boar ( Sus scrofa) is an Omnivorous, gregarious Mammal of the biological family Suidae.

Conservation

Conservation of the species has been hampered due to the lack of public support, unlike that for charismatic South Asian mammals like the Bengal Tiger or Indian Rhino. Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The Bengal tiger, or Royal Bengal tiger ( Panthera tigris tigris or Panthera tigris bengalensis) is a Subspecies of Tiger primarily The Indian Rhinoceros or the Great One-horned Rhinoceros or the Asian One-horned Rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis) is a large mammal found in Nepal Local political unrest in the area has also severely hampered effective conservation efforts, but these conflicts have now ceased.
Pygmy hogs were exhibited in the zoos of London and Berlin in the 19th century. Neither was captivity aimed at conservation nor did these captive populations survive. Zürich Zoo exhibited pygmy hogs from 1976 to 1978, but all females died. The success of captive breeding dramatically increased after the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, PHCP, was established in 1995. The PHCP was established under the umbrella of a formal 'International Conservation Management and Research Agreement' by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the IUCN's Pigs, Peccaries and Hippo Specialist Group, the Forest Department, Government of Assam, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organisation with a mission to save species from Extinction. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has launched a comprehensive conservation strategy including field status surveys of pygmy hogs and their habitats, behavioural studies, personnel training, local community awareness and assistance programmes and the establishment of a highly successful captive breeding program at the Pygmy Hog Research and Breeding Centre in Assam. Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is a conservation organisation with a mission to save species from Extinction. Active habitat management has been established and a reintroduction programme has now been launched (Narayan, 2006).

References

External links


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