The Woodland Park Zoo just added 2 new warthogs to the family

Feb 14 2020, 9:26 pm

Remember Pumbaa the warthog in The Lion King?

His distant relatives, Olive and Clover, are the newest members of the Woodland Park Zoo.

warthogs

Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

We’ll admit it, warthogs are not the most attractive. Related to boars and hogs, these wild members of the pig family are native to the grasslands, savannas, and woodlands in sub-Saharan Africa.

Their names come from their wart-looking face growths: thick growths of skin that function as padding to protect their faces during battles. Since males do most of the fighting, females tend to have smaller facial padding, pretty cool, huh.

warthogs

Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo

Olive and Clover come all the way from Jacksonville, Florida, where they were soaking up the sun and enjoying their first two and a half years of life. The sisters are still getting used to their new home, the Woodland Park Zoo said in a release, but are social creatures and will likely adjust quickly into their new habitat.

The duo will be the new companions to lonely Dennis, resident male warthog who lost his long-time companion, Martha, earlier last year.

Alyssa TherrienAlyssa Therrien

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