Detroit Zoo Honors Game of Thrones Through Warthog Names

Someone in power over at the Detroit Zoo really loves Game of Thrones as they announced they were naming five new piglets after characters on the show May 27.

Yes, the world welcomed females Daenerys, Sansa and Cersei, and males Tyrion and Hodor into it's terrible embrace as they were born April 8. Not sure why it took them so long to announce the new names, maybe the good zoologists and George R. R. Martin enthusiasts just needed to see whose personalities the swine best embodied.

"We're thrilled to have this new litter to add to our warthog family. Like all pigs, warthogs are smart and precocious and a lot of fun to watch running and rooting around in their habitat," said Scott Carter, chief life sciences officer for the Detroit Zoological Society.

The warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) has a large head with a flat face, high-set eyes and elongated snout. A mature warthog stands about 30 inches tall at the shoulder and can weigh between 125 and 300 pounds. Its stocky, muscular, almost-hairless body features wrinkly, gray skin; a long, coarse mane along its neck and back; and a long, tasseled tail.

Among the warthog's most noticeable characteristics are the four large tusks protruding from the sides of its snout. The two upper canine teeth curve up and over the snout while the sharp lower canines are short and straight. The warthog also sports protruding facial warts which give the species its name.