| dc.description.abstract | The thesis presents the data collected during
twenty months of field research in Nairobi National Park
on the warthog, Phacochoerus aethiopicus Pallas. The
warthog is diurnal and passes the night in a burrow. Two
of these burrows are described, and the shelter offered
by these holes against predators and climatic variation is
discussed. The microhabitat is described in terms of
climate, vegetation, and soils.
- Feeding, drinki ng, scratching, wallowing, resting
and toilet behaviour are briefly described. The role of
"play" in the development of behavioural display and in the
development of motor abilities is discussed. Sequences of
social behaviour showing intraspecific aggressions and
courtship are given. All these behaviour patterns are then
incorporated into an analysis of the diurnal activity
pattern.
The 'warthog has a strict mating season, between
March and May, and the resulting farrowing season occurs
in late October or early November. Sexual maturity occurs
for females at 17-18 months, and for males somewhat later.
The males do not mate until 32 months of age. The fertility
rate for the population of warthogs studied was
84.2%, and the average litter size was 1.94. The sex
ratio at birth did not differ significantly from unity.
The most common grouping is two or more adult females and
their young; these groups are often joined by adult
males which wander throughout the home ranges of the groups .,.
The density of warthogs in the study area was
found to be 14.5 per KM., two estimates of 3.1 and 3.9
warthogs per km ,2 are glven for the whole of Nairobi Park • .•.
The concepts of home range and territory are discussed;
the average size of the warthog-home range is estimated at
132.9 hectares~ The sex ratio for adult warthogs shifts
from unity at birth to 1:1~57 in favour of females. The
mortality rate for adults is approximately 15.4% per annum
whereas the rate for piglets during the first six months
was 48.4%
A list of the statistical formulae used in compiling
the figures and tables is given in the appendix | en |
