Owen Whillock 12/13/12 Mrs. Boone

 Wild Pigs didn’t just come here.  They were brought here by Spanish Explorers.  They went to many parts of Georgia.

 Well the Wild Pigs common name is Wild Boar there other is Wild Pig.  There scientific name is Sus Scrofa Linnaeus.

 They are very dangerous.  You would have to sneak up on them to kill them.  They have been around for a long time.  They are very fast.  They are very fat.

 Wild Pigs can live anywhere.  They can because of there fur.  Because of there fur they can survive in the cold.  They can live in very cold weather.

 Hair color is variable from brown to black.  Body size ranges from m ( ft) in total length, with a height of 0.9 m (3 ft) at the shoulder.  These animals weigh as much as kg (400 lbs).  The body shape of the Wild Pig is similar to that of domestic pigs, with a few differences which make them distinct.  The Wild Pig is generally thinner, has coarser hair, and has longer canine teeth, called tusks, than domestic pigs do.

 The Wild Pig can breed year round.  The gestation period is 115 days.  Litter size ranges from piglets.  A Wild Pig reaches sexual maturity by one year of age.

 Wild Pigs, also called Feral Hogs, have been established in North America since 1539, when the first European settlers brought them to Florida as domestic pigs.  Another race of wild pig, the European Wild Boar, was released in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee in the late 1800s and 1900s for the purposes of hunting.  A Wild Pig will eat almost anything that has nutritional value, including tubers, roots, shoots, acorns, fruits, berries, earthworms, amphibians, reptiles, rodents, and even newborn fawns of the White-tailed Deer.  Humans are the major predators of this species, but large carnivores like the Black Bear and the Mountain Lion are capable of preying on young adults.  Piglets may be preyed upon by bobcats, foxes, and coyotes.  Wild Pigs have a negative impact on the environment.  The extensive disturbance on soil and vegetation as a result of their rooting habits affects plant communities and may cause shifts in plant community structure.  They also compete for food with native animal species, particularly mast crops (acorns) which are important sources of food for wild turkey and deer.  During the summer months, Wild Pigs create wallows in wet sites, destroying the integrity of the plant and soil community.

 That they weren’t just here they were brought here.  It is amazing that they were in the place with the Spanish Explorers but not in America.  Pigs were first introduced in the 1500’s to what is now the southeastern U.S. by Spanish Explorer, Hernando Desoto.

 Wild Pigs are large.  They can be very long.  They can also be very, very wide.