What is a Wild Boar ?

The wild boar (Sus scrofa), or simply called a boar, wild hog, razorback, feral pig or one of many expletives is an omnivorus, gregarious mammal of the biological family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been introduced nearly everywhere else. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. Although common in France, the wild boar became extinct in Great Britain and Ireland by the 17th century, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, following escapes from boar farms.

Physical characteristics

The body of the wild boar is compact; the head is large, the legs relatively short. The fur consists of stiff bristles and usually finer fur. The colour usually varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are great regional differences in colour; even whitish animals are known from central Asia . During winter the fur is much denser. Adult boars average 3.5 to 6 ft in length and have a shoulder height of approx. 3 ft. As a whole, their average weight is 140–200 pounds, though boars show a great deal of weight variation within their geographical ranges.

The continuously growing tusk (the canine teeth) serve as weapons and tools. The lower tusks of an adult male measure about 8 inches (from which seldom more than 4 inches protrude out of the mouth), in exceptional cases even 12 in. The upper tusks are bent upwards in males, and are regularly ground against the lower ones to produce sharp edges. In females they are smaller, and the upper tusks are only slightly bent upwards in older individuals.
Wild boar piglets are coloured differently from adults, being a soft brown with longitudinal darker stripes. The stripes fade by the time the piglet is about half-grown, when the animal takes on the adult's grizzled grey or brown colour.
Litter size of wild boars may vary depending on their location.

Wild boars live in groups called sounders. Sounders typically contain around 20 animals, but groups of over 50 have been seen. In a normal sounder there are two or three sows and their offspring; adult males are not part of the sounder outside of a breeding cycle, two to three per year, and are usually found alone. Birth, called farrowing, usually occurs in a secluded area away from the sounder; a litter will typically contain 8–12 piglets. The animals are usually nocturnal, roaming looking for food from sundown to sun-up but with resting periods during both night and day. They will eat anything that does not eat them first including grass, nuts, berries, roots, tubers, trash, insects, small reptiles—even young deer and lambs. If surprised or cornered, a boar (and particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young with intense vigor. The male lowers its head, charges, and then slashes upward with his tusks. The female, whose tusks are not visible, charges with her head up, mouth wide, and bites. Such attacks are not often fatal to humans, but may result in severe trauma, dismemberment, or blood loss.

Wild boars or feral pigs in the United States.

Domestic pigs quite readily become feral, and feral populations often revert to a similar appearance to wild boar; they can then be difficult to distinguish from natural or introduced true wild boar (with which they also readily interbreed). The characterization of populations as feral pig, escaped domestic pig or wild boar is usually decided by where the animals are encountered and what is known of their history. One characteristic by which domestic and feral animals are differentiated is their coats. Feral animals almost always have thick, bristly coats ranging in colour from brown through grey to black. A prominent ridge of hair matching the spine is also common, giving rise to the name razorback in the southern United States, where they are common. The tail is usually long and straight. Feral animals tend also to have longer legs than domestic breeds and a longer and narrower head and snout.

A very large swine dubbed Hogzilla was shot in Georgia in June 2004.Initially thought to be a hoax, the story became something of an internet sensation. National Geographic Explorer investigated the story, sending scientists into the field. After exhuming the animal and performing DNA testing, it was determined that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic swine.
At the beginning of the 20th century, wild boar were introduced for hunting in the United States ,where they interbred in parts with free roaming domestic pigs.The first true Pigs were brought to the United States by Hernando de Sota to the Atlantic Coast of Florida in 1539.
The First "Pure Russian" wild boars were brought into the US by Austin Corbin. They were released into a 20,000 acre enclosure in Sullivan County New Hampshire in 1890.

SOME FAST FACTS AS OF 2006:

STATES WITH FERAL HOGS: 39, plus 4 Canadian provinces.

TEXAS COUNTIES with Feral Hogs, 225 out of 254 counties.

HOG POULATION IN TEXAS; 2,000,000 (MILLION)+!

NATIONAL POPULATION is estimated at around 4,000,000.

ESTIMATED ANNUAL AGG DAMAGE from feral swine $52 MILLION!

LANDOWNER ANNUAL EXPENSE to control feral swine $7 MILLION

NATURAL LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A FERAL SWINE IS 6 to 8 years.

AVERAGE SIZE of feral swine is 100 to 150 pounds, but depending on the region can obtain sizes in excess of 600 lbs.

REPRODUCTION OF FERAL SWINE: Once a sow reaches breeding age at 7 or 8 months of age they can be responsible for 1,000 plus feral swine in a 5 year period.