Babirusa actually pierce the flesh in the snout. All species of babirusa are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), shown on their Red List since at least 2010 and current in 2017. The genus is monotypic within the subfamily Babyrousinae, or alternatively considered to form a tribe, Babyrousini, of the subfamily Suinae. To date, only one fossil skull has been found to suggest a larger ancestor. All members of the genus were considered part of a single species until recently, the babirusa or pig-deer, "B. babyrussa", but following the split into several species, this scientific
Wild animal suffering nature would be either unethical, unfeasible, or both. In his autobiography, Charles Darwin acknowledged that the existence of extensive suffering in nature was fully compatible with the workings of natural selection, yet maintained that pleasure was the main driver of fitness-increasing behavior in organisms. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins challenged Darwin's claim in his book "River Out of Eden", wherein he argued that wild animal suffering must be extensive due to the interplay of the following evolutionary mechanisms: From this, Dawkins concludes that the natural world must necessarily contain enormous amounts of animal suffering as an inevitable consequence of Darwinian evolution.