The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domesticated pig. It lives in woodlands across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains), and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia. Animals similar to the wild boar include the warthog of Africa and the peccary or javelina of the American Southwest; but these animals do not share the pig's taxonomic genus. The peccary is actually in a different family.

Wild boars can reach up to 440 lb (200 kg) and can be up to 6 feet (1.8 m) long. If surprised or cornered they may become aggressive and can cause injury with their tusks. However, this is quite rare and usually only occurs if a sow feels the need to defend her piglets.

The wild boar became extinct in Great Britain in the medieval period, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, particularly the Weald, following escapes from boar farms.

Wild or feral

The difference between the wild and domestic animals is largely a matter of perception; both are usually described as Sus scrofa, and

The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species, including, confusingly, domestic pigs. In the case of wild pigs only, it is correct to say "female boar" or "infant wild boar", since boar or wild boar refers to the species itself.

One characteristic by which domestic breed and wild animals are differentiated is coats. Wild animals almost always have thick, short 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. The tail is usually short and straight. Wild animals tend also to have longer legs than domestic breeds and a longer and narrower head and snout. European adult males can be up to 200kg and have both upper and lower tusks; females do not have tusks and are around a third smaller on average.(Compare "Hogzilla", a very large boar shot in Georgia, USA in 2004.)

Habits

Wild boars live in groups called sounders. Sounders typically contain around twenty animals, but groups of over fifty have been seen. In a typical sounder there are two or three sows and their offspring; adult males are not part of the

The animals are usually nocturnal, foraging from dusk until dawn but with resting periods during both night and day. This is because hunters are most active during the day. They eat almost anything they come across, including nuts, berries, carrion, roots, tubers, refuse, insects, small reptiles--even young deer and lambs.

Subspecies

Sus scrofa scrofa - inhabits anywhere in North Africa, Europe, and Asia

Sus scrofa ussuricus - inhabits North Asia and Japan

Sus scrofa cristatus - inhabits Asia Minor peninsular, India and the Far- East

Sus scrofa taiwanus - inhabits Taiwan

Hunting

Wild boars are hunted both for their meat, considered a delicacy, and to mitigate the damage they cause to crops and forests. Historically, boar hunting was traditionally done by groups of spearmen using a specialised boar spear. The boar spear was fitted with a cross guard to stop the enraged animal driving its pierced body further down the shaft in order to attack its killer before dying. Specialised boar swords were also used in boar hunting, and also large hunting dogs, which would usually be equipped with heavy leather armour. See also medieval hunting. Armoured dogs are also used by modern boar hunters to track and subdue their quarry, which is then despatched using a knife, rifle or compound bow. Wild boar are also often hunted without the aid of dogs, using similar equipment.

Mythology and symbolism

One of the Twelve Labours of Hercules was hunting a wild boar, the "Erymanthian Boar". Boar hunting figures in several stories of Celtic and Irish mythology. The wild boar was a symbol of Richard III of England. The boar and boar's head are common charges in heraldry. A complete beast may represent what are seen as the positive qualities of the boar, namely courage and fierceness in battle; a boar's head may represent hospitality (from the common provision of roast boar at banquets), or it may symbolise that the bearer of the arms is a noted hunter. However boar charges also lend themselves very well to canting (heraldic punning).

Also, in Hindu mythology, the second avatar of the Lord Vishnu was Varaha, a boar.

Commercial use

The hair of the boar was often used for the production of the toothbrush until the invention of synthetic materials in the 1930s. The hair for the bristles usually came from the neck area of the boar. Popular because the bristles were soft, it wasn't the best material for oral hygiene as the hairs were slow to dry and usually retained bacteria.

Boar meaning an adult male of certain animals

Adult males of the following species are known as boars: badger, bear, guinea pig, hedgehog, panda, pig, prairie dog and raccoon. The corresponding females are called sows. Names for the young are more variable.

See also

• Hogzilla
• Razorback

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