Wild Boar By Sarah Bradshaw

Wild Boar The scientific name is Sus scrofa. Scrofa means digger or rooter. It is also called a wild hog or razorback.

Anatomy and Appearance The Wild Boar is a medium-sized mammal with a large head and front end, that leads into a smaller back end. They have a double coat of fur, that consists of a harder, bristly top layer, with a softer layer under it. They can weigh from 176 – 386 pounds. The hair that runs along the ridge of the Wild Boar's back is also longer than the rest.

Locomotion Wild pigs can run up to 30 mph. They can jump over fences less than 3 feet high. It runs to escape or scare away predators.

Diet Wild pigs are omnivores. They eat both plants and animals. They eat both vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Most of their diet is plants.

Habitat and Range The pig is native to Europe and Asia, it has spread with humans to every continent except Antarctica. It has one of the widest ranges of all land mammals. It can adapt to almost any habitat.

Structural Adaptations The snout of the Wild Boar has a disk at the end that allows the Wild Boar's snout to be used as a bulldozer when it is looking for food. All Wild Boars have tusks on their bottom lips that can be more than 3 inches long.

Behavioral Adaptations Wild boars usually travel in groups. They sleep in “nests” made by burrowing in the leaves. They are nocturnal.

Defense/Offence The wild boar mostly uses its speed and tusks to defend itself against predators. In the United States, it’s main predator is humans.

Something Special Its lifespan is 15-20 years. Its babies are born with stripes to camouflage it in the woods.

References National Geographic Channel.com. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/dangerous-encounters/articles/facts-wild-hog-invasion/ 2011. A-Z Animals.com. http://a-z-animals.com/animals/wild-boar/ 2015. Higginbotham, Billy. Texas A&M.edu. http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/ 2013. Wictionary.org. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scrofa 2015. Invasive Species Info.gov. http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/wildboar.shtml 2015.