Bearded pig facts size, population and migration

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Bearded Pig Sus barbatus

Red List Status: Vulnerable

Location: Bearded Pigs are found across Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and the Philippines, including Palawan. They inhabit tropical rainforests, mangroves, peat swamps, and logged forests, sometimes venturing into agricultural areas.

Extant (resident): Brunei Darussalam; Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatera); Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, Sabah)

Possibly Extinct: Philippines

Extinct: Singapore

Appearance and behaviour

The Bearded Pig is a striking wild pig of the rainforest, recognised by their wiry “beard” of coarse hair framing a long, mud-streaked snout. Their shaggy coats, a mix of grey-brown and lighter streaks, seem made for blending into the dappled forest floor. Small, keen eyes glint with intelligence, and their long legs carry their robust bodies— weighing between 40 to 120 kilograms—through thick vegetation with quiet purpose.

Foraging families of Sus Barbatus can often be heard before they’re seen, with soft grunts and snuffling sounds that echo through the undergrowth. In migration, the rhythm of hooves and the rustle of leaves mark their passage, as they travel great distances in search of fruiting trees.

The Palawan Bearded Pig (Sus barbatus ahoenobarbus), smaller and with a less pronounced beard, shares these traits, however they are adapted to the unique environment of Palawan Island.

In Sumatra, habitat loss and fragmentation have been the highest in the world over the last 20 years, putting S. b. oi at direct threat of extinction (Margono et al. 2011, Meitten 2012). The same situation probably applies to Bangka and the Riau Archipelago where the persistence of the species is unclear today.

IUCN Red List

Diet

Bearded Pigs are omnivores, thriving on a diverse diet of fruits, seeds, roots, tubers, fungi, and small invertebrates. They are keystone seed dispersers in the rainforest, eating figs, seeds, and other forest fruits, and scattering seeds through their foraging. When natural food is scarce, they may venture into fields to feed on crops like maize and rice.

Reproduction and mating

These pigs breed year-round, but their reproduction often aligns with fruiting seasons. Females give birth to litters of four to eight piglets, born with striped coats that blend into the forest floor. Family groups are tightly bonded, with mothers fiercely protective of their young.

Geographic range

Bearded Pigs inhabit rainforests, mangroves, and peat swamps across Borneo, Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and Palawan. While they thrive in intact forests, they are adaptable and can survive in logged forests and agricultural areas. However, their seasonal migrations require connected habitats, making forest corridors essential. Habitat fragmentation is a looming and major threat to this enigmatic wild pig.

Their population is believed to have declined by 30% over the last three generations (taken as 21 years) by hunting, shrinkage in distribution, and habitat destruction and degradation.

Threats

Palm oil and timber deforestation

Bearded Pigs are losing their habitats at an alarming rate due to the expansion of out-of-control palm oil plantations, logging, and agricultural activities. The relentless clearing of forests for monoculture plantations not only reduces their foraging grounds but also fragments the connected landscapes they rely on for migration. Without intact forest corridors, their survival is increasingly precarious.

Illegal hunting and bushmeat trade

Bearded Pigs are heavily hunted across their range for their meat. While some hunting is for subsistence, illegal hunting and commercial trade exacerbate the pressure on their populations. Consequently, unregulated and illegal hunting threatens not just the species but also the indigenous communities whose cultural practices and diets are deeply intertwined with their presence.

African swine fever and other diseases

Emerging infectious diseases, including African swine fever, pose a significant threat to wild pig populations. The rapid spread of this disease in Southeast Asia has raised concerns about its impact on already vulnerable species like the Bearded Pig. These diseases can decimate populations and further weaken their chances of survival.

Habitat fragmentation

The destruction of forest corridors caused by deforestation and infrastructure development disrupts the seasonal migrations of Bearded Pigs. Without connected habitats, these pigs are forced to remain in smaller, isolated areas, reducing access to food and increasing competition. Habitat fragmentation also isolates populations, which can lead to reduced genetic diversity over time.

FAQs: bearded pig facts

What does the Bornean bearded pig diet consist of?

Bearded Pigs eat a mix of fruits, seeds, roots, fungi, and invertebrates. Furthermore, they are highly opportunistic foragers. Sus Barbatus regularly follow monkey troops, such as gibbons and macaques, through the forest. They wait below to eat the fruit that the primates drop or dislodge from the canopy. Their role as seed spreaders makes them essential to rainforest growth, as they help regenerate forests by distributing seeds through their droppings.

Is the Bearded Pig endangered?

The Bearded Pig is classed as Vulnerable. Populations are reducing due to habitat destruction, hunting, and disease, and their reliance on intact forest corridors for migration makes them particularly vulnerable.

How are Bearded Pigs adapted to live in tropical rainforests?

Bearded Pigs have many adaptations for life in the rainforest. Their migratory behaviour helps them track fruiting seasons, and their long snouts and strong jaws allow them to forage for tubers and seeds. Because Sus barbatus have a diverse meat and plant-based diet and can travel long distances and sow seeds, this makes them more likely to survive and to contribute to rainforest growth.

What are the physical characteristics of the Palawan Bearded Pig?

The Palawan Bearded Pig (Sus barbatus ahoenobarbus), a subspecies, is smaller and has shorter hair and a less obvious beard compared to the Bearded Pig. Found exclusively on Palawan Island, they share environmental significance of their mainland relatives in their seed fertilising activities that help forests to grow.

What is the bearded pig size and weight?

The bearded pig size makes them a very large and long-legged forest animal. Males can reach up to 152 centimetres in length. Their shoulder height sits between 70 and 90 centimetres. Furthermore, adult males can weigh up to 120 kilograms, with some even reaching 200 kilograms. Females are slightly smaller, measuring up to 148 centimetres long. Both sexes possess a distinctive tail featuring two rows of bristly hair. The tail adds another 17 to 26 centimetres to their total length.

What makes the bearded pig appearance unique?

The bearded pig facts regarding their appearance are fascinating. They have the slimmest torso and longest head of any living pig species. Their most striking feature is a “beard” of coarse, bushy hairs on the bridge of the nose and cheeks. This beard can grow up to 15 centimetres long in males. Furthermore, both sexes possess sharp tusks. The tusks on male pigs can grow up to 25 centimetres long. Their body is sparsely haired and varies in colour from pale grey to reddish-brown.

How does the bearded pig migration work?

Bearded pig migration is completely unique among pig species. Usually, their populations remain small and dispersed. However, during mass forest fruiting events, hundreds of individuals join together. Borneo bearded pigs form massive herds and travel between 30 and 600 kilometres to find food. These wild boars are incredibly mobile animals. They can climb, jump, and even swim between oceanic islands. Sadly, these spectacular mass migrations no longer occur in heavily logged and deforested regions.

How do bearded pigs breed and raise their young?

In the wild, bearded pigs breed year-round. However, mating peaks when fruit trees finish their flowering cycle, ensuring abundant food when piglets are born. Females build large, deep nests out of foliage before giving birth. A typical litter size is seven to nine piglets, though well-fed females can produce up to twelve. Newborns stay in the nest for about a week. Mothers are extremely protective and will aggressively chase away intruders. Piglets are born with pale stripes that fade after five weeks.

What is the bearded pig population status today?

Currently there is no exact global Borneo bearded pig population count. However, the IUCN lists Sus barbatus as Vulnerable. Their numbers are actively declining across their entire range in Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. The primary hreat is severe habitat loss due to palm oil deforestation and timber logging. This destruction fragments the forest and destroys the corridors required for migration. Furthermore, hunting and disease, such as African Swine Fever, continue to wipe out remaining groups.

Take Action!

The survival of the Bearded Pig depends on protecting their habitats and protecting forest corridors. Support indigenous conservation, boycott palm oil products, and advocate against illegal hunting to ensure their future. #BoycottPalmOil #Boycott4Wildlife

Support the conservation of this species

This animal has no protections in place. Read about other forgotten species here. Create art to support this forgotten animal or raise awareness about them by sharing this post and using the #Boycottpalmoil #Boycott4Wildlife hashtags on social media. Also you can boycott palm oil in the supermarket.

Further Information

Luskin, M., Ke, A., Meijaard, E., Gumal, M. & Kawanishi, K. 2017. Sus barbatus (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T41772A123793370. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T41772A44141317.en. Downloaded on 15 February 2021.

Mongabay. (2022). The only pig species known to migrate: The Bearded Pig. Retrieved from https://news.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-only-pig-species-known-to-migrate-the-bearded-pig/

Mongabay. (2023). Bearded pigs: A cultural keystone species for Borneo’s indigenous groups. Retrieved from https://news.mongabay.com/2023/03/bearded-pigs-a-cultural-keystone-species-for-borneos-indigenous-groups-study/

Reko Forest. (n.d.). Wildlife of RER: The Bearded Pig. Retrieved from https://www.rekoforest.org/field-stories/wildlife-of-rer-the-bearded-pig/

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). (2022). Infectious diseases threaten Bornean pigs. Retrieved from https://blog.wcs.org/photo/2022/03/29/infectious-diseases-threaten-bornean-pigs-bearded/

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