Ecology, Conservation and Management of Wild Pigs and Peccaries

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Part II: Species Accounts

Feeding Ecology
S. celebensis is an omnivore, with a wide-ranging diet reported
to include roots, foliage, fallen fruits (Corypha sp., Arenga pin-
nata, Ficus sp., Artocarpus odoratissimus, Tamarindus sp.),
bark, worms, insects, small vertebrates, and carrion (National
Research Council 1983; Mustari 2005). S. celebensis feed in for-
est and agricultural areas; in particular, they visit the latter dur-
ing the fruiting season. In Tanjung Peropa Widllife Reserve a
total of 21 species of plants was identified by Mustari (2005) in
the diet of the wild pigs from faecal analysis. From field obser-
vations in the same reserve, S. celebensis fed on 87 tree species,
16 undergrowth species, and two bamboo species (Mustari
et al. 2009). Pangium fruit (Pangium edule) was one of the most
preferred fruits; it is found along the riverine and lowland forest
between 50 and 200 m a.s.l.

Reproduction and Growth
There is little known about reproduction in S. celebensis. The
only anatomical study to date was of a female reproductive tract,
which was found to be indistinguishable from that of S. scrofa
(Macdonald et al. 1984). A pregnant sow reported from south
Sulawesi by Sody (1941) was probably mated in February. Births
can occur at any time throughout the year, but sows usually have
their young in April or May (National Research Council, 1983).
Gestation length is not known for certain, and the suggestion
that it may lie between 16 and 20 weeks should be treated with
the caution implied by Sody (1941). Females give birth in nests
made of grasses, leaves, branches, and twigs, piled over a shallow

excavation of approximately 2 m length. Litter size ranges from
two to eight (National Research Council 1983), but a recent study
in North Sulawesi found six pregnant sows killed by hunters to
be carrying only 1–3 fetuses with a mean of only 2.17 fetuses per
pregnancy (Budiarso et al. 1991). The young are striped along
the length of their bodies (Figure 19.5), but lose these markings
as they get older (Appelman 1955; National Research Council
1983).

Behaviour
They usually live in groups from one to six animals (Macdonald
1991; Macdonald et al. 1996). In Tanjung Peropa Nature Reserve
the sex ratio of adults was found to be 1:1.25 (n = 25), and group
size varies between two and nine animals with an average of five
individuals (n = 16). The group generally was composed of one
to three young, one or two subadults, and one to three adults
(Jamaludin et al. 2008).
Males were observed wallowing (Figure 19.6) and poten-
tially scent marking by rubbing the side of the head vigor-
ously against the bank. The species has also been reported to
lick soil nearby hot spring water (Macdonald et al. 1996). This
species was observed swimming across the Roraya River in
Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park (I. S. Rejeki, personal
communication).

Parasites and Diseases
No major diseases have been reported from wild or captive
animals.

Figure 19.4 Sus celebensis old adult male Tanjung Amolengu and Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserves, south-east Sulawesi (photo by A. H. Mustari). (A black and white
version of this figure will appear in some formats. For the colour version, please refer to the plate section.)

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