As medium-sized animals, Wild boars are capable of reaching 3 to 6.5 feet in length, 21.6 to 39.3 inches in height and can weigh in at between 90 to 700 pounds.
On their bodies, wild boars are covered with a double coat of fur which can be brown, red, black or grey.
Their upper coats have harsher, more bristly hair however their undercoats are much softer. The tusks of male Wild boar are more curved and are longer. They also possess an extra tusk on the upper lip which is used for sharpening of the lower tusk, compared to females. During mating season, males use their tusks for fighting. They are omnivores that consume both plant and animal-based food.
They also feed on seed, fruit, leaves, berries, eggs, mice, lizards, snakes and worms. As a species of wild pig, the Wild Boar is found in the forests of Europe, north-west Africa and it is also found throughout Asia They have a very wide distribution with the number of estimated subspecies ranging from 4 to 25. They are very adaptable and are found in many different habitats, and they will consume almost anything that they can possible eat.
Other names for the wild boar include European Wild Pigs, Hogs or simply Boars. They have very poor eyesight mainly because of its very small-sized eyes, however, their long, straight snout means that they have a very strong sense of smell. You can tell apart a male wild boar from a female as males have upturned tusks which are formed from 2 pairs of enlarged canine teeth. Wild boar are able to use their excellent sense of smell to search and locate food on the ground and amongst the soil. They have sturdy and narrow bodies which means that they are well adapted for pushing their way through dense bush and undergrowth.
Wild boar have a very distinct ridge of hair that runs along their spine that gives the name razorback boars in the Southern United States. 11. When they are being hunted and are alarmed, the crest of hackles on their backs stands straight up.
They are an ancestor of most domestic pig breeds and are one of the most distributed of all terrestrial mammals. They typically give birth to between 4 and 8 young, however, it has been known that wild boar have given birth to up to 13 young.
Wild Boar is very good at running and swimming alike Wild boars are typically found in groups of between 6 and 20, however larger herds of around 100 have been found. They are known in French as Sanglier, or Sanglier D’Eurasie and Spanish as JabalĂ.
Their scientific name is Sus scrofa and they are a species of the pig genus Sus, and part of the biological family Suidae. Typically, they do not pose a threat to humans, however, they can occasionally attack when they become agitated and aggressive. If they are cornered or surprised, a wild boar, in particular a sow with young, will lash out and defend its family aggressively. A male Wild boar will lower its head and charge before slashing upwards with its tusks.
A female wild boar, however, will charge with her head up, mouth wide, and will look to bite. This is because she does not have prominent tusks as the male does
Wild Boar are farmed in many countries for their meat, and in France and Italy, for example, they are found for sale in butcher shops or offered in restaurants The Wild boar was sacred in Celtic mythology to the Gallic goddess Arduinna, and indeed boar hunting features in several stories of Celtic and Irish mythology.