This fierce looking wild boar is native to the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togan, Sula and Benu, where it lives in swamps and forest ecosystems. They are commonly referred to as deer pigs due to their spindly, deerlike legs, and like other suids, they eat insects, mushrooms, berries, nuts, fish and smaller animals. Their most unique feature, however is their set of upper tusks. Unlike an elephant’s tusks that grow inside their mouths, the babyrousa’s upper tusks grow through their skin; they start as canine teeth and eventually pierce the skin, growing backward toward their eyes. Although the upper tusks are fragile, it is believed that they protect the males when they fight for territory and females.

The males are solitary, while the females live in small groups and take care of their young. The gestation period for a babyrousa is between 150 and 157 days, after which one or two piglets are born. This is unusual, as most suids give birth to between four and twelve piglets at one time. Although they have no natural predators, they are listed as vulnerable due to habitat loss and overhunting. Scientists study these wild pigs because unlocking the mystery of how their tusks grow could help prevent infections caused by implants such as catheters and picc lines. Thankfully, the babyrousa isn’t endangered yet, so we still have time to spread the word about their strange beauty and protect them while there is still time to do so.