The term babi-rusa is Malaysian for pig-deer. While this rare animal’s torpedo-shaped body and longish legs allow it to move swiftly like a deer, it is in fact a pig. Its most distinctive and noticeable feature is its tusks. Like many other species of pig, the male babirusa has a pair of lower tusks, but it also has an extraordinary pair of curved tusks that poke through its upper snout and spiral towards its forehead. The tusks likely protect its face and eyes during fights with other males. Female babirusas also have tusks, but they are much smaller. According to native legend, babirusa tusks will hook over low-hanging branches to support the pig’s head when it rests.