| Bornean bearded pig | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
_female_with_youngs_(8220051061).jpg) | |
| Female and juveniles Both photographed atBako National Park,Sarawak | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Suidae |
| Genus: | Sus |
| Species: | S. barbatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sus barbatus S. Müller, 1838 | |
| Subspecies | |
S. b. barbatus | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Chaetorhinus barbatus | |
TheBornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus), also known as theSunda bearded pig or simplybearded pig, is aspecies in the pig genus,Sus.[3]
It can be recognized by its prominent beard. It also sometimes has tassels on its tail. It is found inSoutheast Asia—Sumatra,Borneo, theMalay Peninsula, and various smaller islands like inSulu archipelago such asTawi-Tawi, where it inhabitsrainforests andmangrove forests. The bearded pig lives in a family. It can reproduce from the age of 18 months, and can becross-bred with other species in thefamilySuidae.
Potential predators of Bornean bearded pigs inEast Kalimantan includereticulated pythons.[4]
The twosubspecies of this pig are:[3]
As traditionally defined, the nominate is from Borneo. The species is widely ranging in Borneo. It is also found in Tawi-Tawi province at the tip of the Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines, although this population possibly has been extirpated,[2] andS. b. oi is from the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.Genetic evidence suggests this is incorrect, andS. b. oi is better limited to Sumatra, leaving bearded pigs from both Borneo and the Malay Peninsula in the nominate subspecies.[5] Those fromBangka Island appear somewhat intermediate between the two subspecies.[5]
ThePalawan bearded pig (Sus ahoenobarbus) has formerly been considered a subspecies of the bearded pig. However, as indicated by its genetic and morphological distinctness, under thephylogenetic species concept (which does not use subspecies) it needs to be elevated to full species status; while the situation is less clear under otherspecies concepts (as not allS. barbatus populations have been restudied in modern times), the presently available information seems to favor full species status forS. ahoenobarbus in any case.[5]
TheSan Diego Zoo was the first zoo in theWestern Hemisphere to breed them.[6]
As of January 2016, it was held in theLondon Zoo,Berlin Zoo,Gladys Porter Zoo,National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara),Zoo Taiping, andSouthwick's Zoo.[7] The animals at Hellabrunn Zoo were euthanized in 2017 because of old age,[8] and there is only one male left at the Berlin Zoo. Three individuals (one castrated male and two females) left atLondon Zoo[9] and one individual left atGladys Porter Zoo[10] and the individuals were replaced byred river hogs in Southwick's Zoo as of 2017, which means that the species will likely disappear soon from European and American zoos.
The death of Neo, the last Bornean bearded pig held in Europe, was announced by Berlin zoo via Facebook on 28 February 2024.[11]
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