North Sulawesi babirusa suggestive of a deer's antlers. Together with the other members of the genus "Babyrousa", the North Sulawesi babirusa has usually been considered a subspecies of a widespread "Babyrousa babyrussa", but recent work suggests that there may be several species, differentiable on the basis of geography, body size, amount of body hair, and the shape of the upper canine tooth of the male. Following the split, the "true" "Babyrousa babyrussa" is restricted to Buru and the Sula Islands. Most experts agree that babirusas are part of the pig family, and are one of the oldest living members of the family, representing
Babirusa (to the ice age Pleistocene epoch). Adam Brumm, who co-authored the 2014 study dating the paintings, said “The paintings of the wild animals are most fascinating because it is clear they were of particular interest to the artists themselves." Babirusas are protected in Indonesia and killing them is illegal in most cases. However, hunting remains a significant threat to the babirusa. Additionally, commercial logging operations threaten the babirusa by habitat loss, and also reduce cover, making the babirusa more exposed to hunters. All extant species of babirusa are listed as vulnerable or endangered by the IUCN. Babirusa The babirusas, also