# Giant forest hog (*Hylochoerus meinertzhageni*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-forest-hog  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) is a mammal in the family Suidae and the order Artiodactyla, also called the forest hog, eastern forest hog or western forest hog. It is a large, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 188.5 kg and up to 200.3 kg. Gestation lasts 142.3 days, litters average 4.35 young, and sexual maturity comes at 1.4 years; its lifespan is 13.3 years, with values up to 18 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the giant forest hog as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 188.5 kg – 200.3 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 13.3 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 18 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 142 days – 153 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.35 |
| Age at maturity | 17.3 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Artiodactyla
- family: Suidae
- genus: Hylochoerus
- species: *Hylochoerus meinertzhageni* Thomas, 1904

Synonyms: *Hylochoerus giglilii*, *Hylochoerus ituriensis*, *Hylochoerus schultzi*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the giant forest hog?

The giant forest hog is a mammal in the family Suidae, order Artiodactyla. It is terrestrial and nocturnal.

### How heavy is the giant forest hog?

An adult giant forest hog weighs 188.5 kg, with values up to 200.3 kg reported. It falls in the large size class (25 to 250 kg).

### What does the giant forest hog eat?

The giant forest hog is a herbivore.

### Is the giant forest hog endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the giant forest hog live?

The giant forest hog has a lifespan of 13.3 years, with values up to 18 years reported.

### How many young does the giant forest hog have?

The giant forest hog has 4.35 young per litter and 1.1 litters per year, after a gestation of 142.3 days.

### Who named the giant forest hog?

Its scientific name, Hylochoerus meinertzhageni, is credited to Thomas, 1904.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Giant forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-forest-hog