Giant Forest Hog
Hylochoerus meinertzhageni
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderArtiodactyla (Artiodàctils)
- FamilySuidae (Suids)
- GenusHylochoerus (Forest Hogs)
- SpeciesHylochoerus meinertzhageni (Giant Forest Hog)
The giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni), the only member of its genus (Hylochoerus), is native to wooded habitats in Africa and is one of the largest wild members of the pig family, Suidae, along with a few subspecies of the wild boar. It was first described in 1904. The specific name honours Richard Meinertzhagen, who shot the type specimen in Kenya and had it shipped to the Natural History Museum in England. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Forest Hog sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 39 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Virunga National Park
Common Warthog
Phacochoerus africanus
African Buffalo
Syncerus caffer
Common Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
Kob
Kobus kob
Waterbuck
Kobus ellipsiprymnus
Topi
Damaliscus korrigum
Northern Bushbuck
Tragelaphus scriptus
Black Fronted Duiker
Cephalophus nigrifrons
Weyns's Duiker
Cephalophus weynsi
Sitatunga
Tragelaphus spekii
Northern Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
Light-backed Duiker
Cephalophus silvicultor
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Queen Elizabeth National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 3 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Giant Forest Hog in Virunga National Park?
About 19% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Forest Hog sighting in Virunga National Park, based on 39 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Giant Forest Hog in Virunga National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Giant Forest Hog in Virunga National Park in our monthly data.