Wild Boar (Feral Hog, Feral Pig)

Physical Features

The Wild Boar is a species of the pig genus that is also known as the Feral Hog, Feral Pig, Wild Pig, Razorback or European Boar. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, with which it is able to freely hybridize. The Wild Boar has a compact body with a large head and relatively short legs. The body varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are vast differences in color with whitish varieties even existing in central Asia. The fur consists of stiff bristles dispersed with finer fur. Their fur is much denser in the winter.

Adult males develop tusks that serve as weapons and tools. These protrude from the mouth, from their upper and lower canine teeth. The tusks measure between 2.4-4.7in (6-12cm). Females also have sharp canines, but they are much smaller and they do not protrude like those of the male.

Wild Boar piglets are colored differently from adults, having ochre, chocolate and cream colored stripes lengthwise over their bodies. The stripes fade by the time the piglet is about 6 months old by which time they take on the adult's grizzled grey or brown color. Wild Boars show a great deal of weight variation within their geographical ranges, but on average fully grown adults average 120–180cm in length and have a shoulder height of 90cm and weigh on average 110-200lbs (50-90kgs). In general Boars nearer the tropics are larger and those in the Northern range are smaller.

Habitat

Wild Boars can adapt to any type of habitat, but they are typically found in forested areas. They are native across much of Northern and Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia. Populations have also been artificially introduced in some parts of the world, most notably the Americas and Australasia, principally for hunting. Elsewhere, populations have also become established after escapes of wild boar from captivity.

Meat

Wild Boars are excellent to hunt due to their strength, speed, intelligence, and ferocious fighting ability. Wild Boar meat is delicious, lean, dark red, and low in cholesterol.

Diet

Wild boar are omnivorous scavengers that eat almost anything they come across, including grass, nuts, berries, carrion, roots, tubers, refuse, insects and small reptiles.

Behavior

Adult males are usually solitary apart from during the breeding season. Females and their offspring are however social animals that live in groups called sounders that typically number between 20-50 animals. Such groups contain a dominant female with 2-3 sows. Mid-autumn, during the mating season, normally solitary males move into female groups, and rival males fight for dominance, whereupon the dominant males achieve the most access to females and mating.

Sows reach puberty between 8 to 24 months of age depending on environmental and nutritional factors. Their pregnancy lasts roughly 115 days when the sow leave the group to construct a mound-like nest, about 1–3 days before giving birth. The process of giving birth to a litter lasts between 2 and 3 hours, and the sow and piglets remain in, or close to, the nest for 4–6 days. Sows rejoin the group after 4–5 days. It is common for piglets to cross suckle between other lactating sows. The piglets are fully weaned after 3–4 months when they begin to eat solid foods such as worms and grubs.

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