Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)

By Mark Walker

Body length- 1-1.8 metres Weight- 50-250kg Litter size- 4-12 Lifespan- 10-12 years

Wild Boar have an obviously pig like appearance. But they possess a dark bristly coat which is dark brown. They have a stocky body and a wedge shaped head. The males have short tusks. The ears, nose and legs are often dark or black in appearance. The males are larger and heavier than the females. Wild Boar weigh between 50 and 250 kilograms. The Wild Boar has the widest distribution of any wild pig species. It can be found across Europe and temperate Asia. It has also been introduced into North and South America, and Australia. However in many places its numbers have been severely affected by hunting by man. In Europe the Wild Boar is not found in Britain, Ireland and Northern Scandinavia. In Britain, the Wild Boar was hunted to extinction in the 17th century.

The Wild Boar is a forest animal. It lives in deciduous and mixed forests with meadows and pools. It is omnivorous, and eats a variety of food types, such as nuts, berries, leaves, insects and larvae. It has a very powerful snout which it used to grub up roots and insects. Because of this it can cause considerable damage to arable fields, near to where it lives. The Wild Boar lives in small groups of about 12 individuals. The males however lead a solitary life. The groups are composed of females and there young. The Wild Boar is mostly nocturnal, sleeping in dense undergrowth during the day. It enjoys wallowing in muddy patches and pools. Wild Boar are territorial. The mating season occurs between November and January. The males fight with each other to decide who will get to breed. The pregnancy lasts 4 months. The young have distinctive stripe markings which disappear at the time of weaning. The young stay with there mother for the first 3 months of life, but follow there mother on hunting forays soon after birth. They are suckled until 3 months of age.

Although Wild Boar populations have suffered greatly over the past century, they are now recovering strongly, probably because of a reduced level of hunting and the loss of predators such as the wolf and lynx over much of their range. In Britain in recent years new wild groups have been formed from escapes from captive Wild Boar farms. Whether these will spread and grow is unknown.

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