NEXT UP: No. 1 seed Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania) vs No. 16 seed Southern Ningaui (Ningaui yvonneae) #2020MMM 
Pygmy Hogs have blackish-brown fur shaded w/ rusty red that is longer at the nape of the neck. Weighing in at 3.7kg, males are larger than females. (Mallinson 1971) indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/2… #2020MMM
Pygmy Hogs once occurred in tall, wet grasslands throughout the Terai Arc (Oliver 1985) but now only occur in Manas & Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Parks, northwest Assam, India just north of the Brahmaputra River, the 9th largest river in the world #2020MMM researchgate.net/publication/25…
These Tiny Terrors were once thought extinct & 'rediscovered' 1971 fleeing a large-scale grassland fire (Mallinson 1971). Thanks to @DurrellWildlife @IUCNssc there is hope for Pygmy Hog recovery through captive breeding & reintroduction efforts #2020MMM
Southern Ningaui are a tiny carnivorous marsupial (aka dasyurids) weighing in at ~12g. Primarily insectivorous, they enjoy grasshoppers & have an interesting way of getting rid of the parts they don't like before devouring them (Bos 2001) #2020MMM publish.csiro.au/AM/pdf/AM01059
Although the IUCN currently lists the Southern Ningaui as stable, the status of this & many species may change after the recent catastrophic bushfires throughout Australia #2020MMM environment.gov.au/biodiversity/b…
Fire is an important ecological process that can be beneficial or harmful depending on the scale, scope, severity & frequency. Species refuges are important to their survival (Robinson et al 2013) #2020MMM researchgate.net/profile/Natash…
Our battle takes place at Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, @UNESCO World Heritage Site that provides critical & viable habitats for rare and endangered species including tiger, greater one-horned rhino, swamp deer, pygmy hog & Bengal florican pic:UNESCO whc.unesco.org/en/list/338/ #2020MMM
It's near dawn at Manas, an optimal time for pygmy hogs to begin foraging for the day. Our 'large' male combatant snoofles in the duff around a grass hummock in search of grubs. pic:UNESCO #2020MMM
The grasslands here are familiar to Southern Ningaui. Feeling a twinge of hunger, the Ningaui spies a centipede & attacks with a 'lunge-bite-retreat' to it's hind end to avoid the centipede's venomous bite (Bos 2001) publish.csiro.au/AM/pdf/AM01059 pic:p241 HMW ISBN10:849655399X #2020MMM
Pygmy hog grunts snuffles up, startling the Ningaui into dropping the centipede! #2020MMM
Quickly bite-grabbing the centipede, Ningaui darts deeper into the grass thicket, quitting the field of battle pic:p241 HMW ISBN10:849655399X #2020MMM
PYGMY HOG DEFEATS NINGAUI!!! #2020MMM
