Typically, well-adapted to the extensive dipterocarp forest of Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra, but also recorded in estuarine swamps, secondary and all kinds of old jungle, beaches, riverbanks, all kinds of plantations, clearings and also the outskirts of towns.

Very diverse, including fruits, plants, roots, fungi, invertebrates, small vertebrates, turtle eggs, and carrion.

The species forms small family groups that are typically constituted of a female and her offspring. Occasionally, these social units join up to form larger aggregations up to hundredth of individuals. Males are solitary, except during the mating season. Their home ranges vary throughout the year and between years. Bearded pigs are mostly diurnal and are subjected to irregular migrations, following the fruit seasons.

Susceptible to habitat loss (e.g. commercial logging, expansion of human settlements), high hunting pressure, and various contagious diseases.

Although Sunda bearded pigs seem to be plentiful and widespread across Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, their population has been facing a rapid decline in recent years. In Peninsular Malaysia, considered as a game species, the bearded pig is protected under the Protection of Wildlife Act (1972) and can be hunted with a license with no bag limit for meat, or as a measure of pest control. In Borneo, it is protected under the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance, 1998 (Part IV), and specifically in the Trade Ban (Section 33) that prohibits the hunting or selling of wildlife species or wild meat.

Sunda bearded pig projects