A Wild Boar's Boiler Room

A little history about a wild boar - The term boar is used to denote an adult male of certain species.  However, for a wild boar, it applies to the whole species, including for example, "wild boar sow" or wild boar piglet."

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 color usually varies from dark grey to black or brown, but there are great regional differences in color.  During the winter the fur is much denser.

They can weigh from 100 to 300lbs or more depending on the geographical ranges. 

Adult males developed tusks, continuously growing teeth that protrude from the mouth, from their upper and lower canine teeth.  These serve as weapons and tools.  The upper tusks are bent upwards in males, and are regularly ground against the lower ones to produce sharp edges.  Females also have sharp canines, but there are smaller, and not protruding like the males' tusks.

Wild boar piglets are colored differently from adults, having marbled chocolate and cream stripes lengthwise over their bodies. The stripes fade by the time the piglet is about 6 months old, when the animal takes on the adults grizzled grey or brown color.

Adult males are usually solitary outside of the breeding season, but females and their offspring (both sub-adult males and females) live in groups called sounders.  Sounders typically number around 20 animals, although groups of over 50 have been seen, and will consist of 2 to 3 sows; one of which will be the dominant female.

Wild boar forge in early morning and late afternoon or night but rest for periods during both night and day.  They eat grass, nuts, berries, nests of ground nesting birds, roots, tubers, refuse, insects and small reptiles.  Wild boar in Australia are also known to be predators of young deer and lambs.

If surprised or cornered, a boar (particularly a sow with her piglets) can and will defend itself and its young with intense vigor.  The males 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.

Christopher Columbus brought 8 hogs to the West Indies and was later imported to the American mainland by the mid 16th century by Herman Cortes and Hernando de Soto, and in the mid 17th century by Sieur de La Salle. Large population of wild boar also live in Australia, New Zealand and North and South America.  Recently, Germany has reported a surge in the wild boar population. According to one study, "German wild boar litters have six to eight piglets on average, other countries usually about four or five."  Info from Wikipedia