Part II: Species Accounts72
to its current range by human agency (Groves 1980), but this is
not consistent with the notion that the Moluccan babirusa has
evolved into a distinct species given the short time frame follow-
ing introduction.Descriptive Notes
Compared to the other two extant species, B. togeanensis in
Togean Islands and B. celebensis in North Sulawesi, the Moluccan
babirusa has more conspicuous long hair all over the body and
a well-developed tail tuft (Figure 7.2). It is smaller in body size
(60–100 kg) than the other two species, with varied hair colour,
both a light and dark hair type (Oliver 1995). Moluccan babirusa
exhibits distinctive skull characteristics with frontal furrows
mostly deep and sharp-edged. The upper canines of the male
are usually short and slender, with alveolus forwardly rotated,
so that the lower canine crosses the upper in lateral view, gen-
erally divergent or parallel to each other, or weakly convergent
(Groves 1980; Meijaard & Groves 2002).Habitat
The vegetation in Buru and Sula comprises mostly of tropical
lowland evergreen, semi-evergreen rainforest, and tropical
montane forest (Ellen 1997). Human settlements are concen-
trated in coastal areas, but much of the interior of Buru Island is
still lowland moist forest (Monk et al. 1997). Moluccan babirusa
is a forest-dweller, and one individual was observed in montane
forest (850 m a.s.l.) (Davidson et al. 1995). This is in contrast to
Togean babirusa, which is widely distributed over coastal areas
and not necessarily confined to inland areas (Akbar et al. 2007).
Because the species was reported to be very common in the low-
land areas of Buru in the eighteenth century, hunting as well as
habitat loss are likely factors for its apparent disappearance from
Buru’s lowlands (Meijaard et al. 2016). In Sulawesi, primary for-
est with Pangi trees (Pangium edule) is the main habitat for babi-
rusa (Tulung et al. 2013).
In Sulawesi at least, salt-licks are also one of the ecological
requirements for babirusa. Such salt-licks are surrounded by
continuous primary forest or dense lowland tropical one (Patry
et al. 1995; Clayton & Macdonald 1999). A salt-lick may func-
tion as a place for socialising among babirusa, as courtship and
combat were observed at the licks (Clayton & Macdonald 1999).Movements and Home Range
There are no studies about the movement and home range of
the Moluccan babirusa. A study about Babyrousa celebensis sug-
gested that its home range is affected by the availability of food
throughout its habitat (Patry et al. 1995), although one may also
take into account the activity pattern of its human predators
such as farmers along forest edges.Activity Patterns
Moluccan babirusa is frequently observed in the morning and
late afternoons (Patry et al. 1995). Other species of babirusa
show similar activity patterns. Babirusa have been seen foraging
actively in the morning, walking around with their snout close
to the ground (Leus et al. 1992; Clayton & Macdonald 1999;
Akbar et al. 2007).Feeding Ecology
The Moluccan babirusa diet includes forest fruits, notably
from dipterocarp Shorea trees (Davidson et al. 1995), as well as
leaves of Canarium spp. and Ficus spp. (Meijaard et al. 2016).
On the Togean Islands, babirusa eat the ripe and fallen fruit of
Pangium, Dracontomelon, Mangifera, Spondias, Artocarpus,
and other fleshy fruits, although they also go to the beach and
consume fallen coconut fruit (Akbar et al. 2007). Studies in
North Sulawesi showed that minerals, notably sodium, seem to
be an essential part of the diet for babirusa (Patry et al. 1995;
Clayton & Macdonald 1999). Babirusa is a forestomach fer-
menting frugivore, with a diet high in fibre (e.g. fruit, leaves,
herbaceous material) which is crucial for them (Leus et al. 1999;
Leus 2000; Clauss et al. 2008). Babirusa stomachs have a large
fundus and enlarged diverticulum ventriculi which act as food
storage chambers or enlarged ‘acid baths’ (Leus & Macdonald
1997). Babirusa do not seem to digest cellulose as efficiently as
hemicellulose, which could be interpreted as an indication of
the importance of non-cellulose fibre in their natural diets (van
Wees et al. 2000; Clauss et al. 2008). A small portion of the diet
consists of animal material and mineral-rich soil (Leus 2000).Reproduction and Growth
The mating system of the Suidae is generally considered to be polyg-
ynous (Rappole 2007). The males compete with each other to get a
female, so that there is a conspicuous difference in male and female
tusk and body size (Estes 1991). The former also applies to babi-
rusa. Males and females of babirusa are easily differentiated by their
tusks. Males have maxillary vertical canine teeth on the upper jaw
that are curved and grow up toward the forehead, while the female
does not have this feature (Meijaard et al. 2016). In zoos, babirusa
show no mating season and breeding occurs all year round, but the
highest number of piglets is born in May and December (Bowles
1986; Macdonald 1993). Males and females reach sexual maturity at
5–10 months and they are reproductively active until 22 years of age
(Ziehmer et al. 2010; Tulung et al. 2013). Gestation length is usually
155–158 days, although 171 days has been reported (Macdonald
1993). Babirusa have smaller litter sizes compared to domestic pigs,
mostly one or two, with triplets rare (Bowles 1986; Patry et al. 1995;
Figure 7.2 Moluccan babirusa. Illustrated by Vini Apriansari. Tulung et al. 2013). Weaning of captive babirusa occurs from the.00912:33:27