What is the name of the boar girl? All about wild boars and their life. Description and features of the wild boar
These are called the capacious epithet “fierce beast.” Even the name cleaver, the same root word as “fight” (battle), makes it clear that it is better not to joke with this animal. Oddly enough, we are not talking about a bloodthirsty predator, but about an omnivorous relative of the domestic pig.
Our article will tell you what a wild boar looks like, how it lives in the wild, and what danger it poses to humans.
Species affiliation
In the scientific literature you can find information that domestic pigs are one of the first animals that ancient man conquered from the wild and brought into his home. Pig farming is an important sector of the national economy in many countries around the world. But the wild boar, whose size is much larger than that of a domestic pig, has not become a friend of man and does not intend to.
Wild boars belong to the order of Artiodactyls and the suborder of non-ruminants, which, by the way, indicates a close relationship with hippopotamuses.
In some countries this animal is called a boar. Since ancient times, people have noticed that he is distinguished by fearlessness and, in the event of a fight, is ready to fight to the death, inflicting terrible wounds on the enemy, no matter who he is.
Impressive appearance
The cleaver is not so similar to its domesticated counterpart. There is an external resemblance, of course, but the forest animal is much more massive and stronger. Its body is covered with coarse fur, and its elongated muzzle with deep-set small eyes is crowned with a pair of fangs. In males they are larger, but in old females they can reach quite impressive sizes.
The wild boar has short strong legs, sharp erect ears and a movable straight tail. The distinctive sign of the family - a nickel - is also present.
At the withers, this animal reaches 1 meter, and its body length is usually about 1.75 m. The average weight of a wild boar does not exceed hundreds of kilograms, but there are specimens whose weight exceeds this figure by one and a half to two times. But even this is not a record! The largest representative of the species, caught in Eastern Europe, weighed 275 kg. And in Manchuria and Primorye there are wild boars weighing half a ton.
There are many color options. The Belarusian wild boars that inhabit the famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha are dark, and can even be black. And in the vicinity of Lake Balkhash live light boars with whitish, as if faded wool. Typically, individuals that make up one flock are colored the same. But wild boar piglets are always striped, regardless of their territory of residence.
Habitat
This animal occupies one of the largest habitats on the planet among terrestrial species. And once upon a time it was even more extensive. Today, wild boars live in Central and Southern Europe, North Africa, the steppes of Eurasia, the Middle and Far East, Hindustan and the islands of Indonesia. In ancient times they also inhabited Scandinavia, Britain, and Egypt. Today, many countries are trying to restore wild boar populations artificially. So, this animal was brought to Australia, South America, and the USA.
Lifestyle
The wild boar prefers to live in forests and steppes. But this unpretentious animal can also be found in the mountains, mangroves and even in the desert.
Wild pigs are herd animals that even know how to communicate with each other. In calm times, they simply grunt quietly, but in case of danger they are capable of raising such a piercing screech that it can be heard even several kilometers away.
Scientists continue to study the lifestyle and characteristics of this animal, and they still periodically learn something new about it.
Wild boar feeding
It is not for nothing that the cleaver boar is endowed with such powerful fangs. It gets most of its food from underground. The diet of wild pigs is divided into 4 subgroups:
- Seeds, fruits, nuts, acorns.
- Plant tubers and root vegetables.
- Aboveground parts of plants (branches, shoots, leaves).
- Animal food (frogs, snakes, small rodents, carrion).
Many are sure that the boar's favorite delicacy is acorns. This is true. Wild pigs can even dig them out from under the snow. At some times of the year, acorns make up 80-90% of the total diet of this animal.
Boar families
Sexual maturity of females occurs at approximately one and a half years of age. A male boar is capable of starting a family starting from the age of two. In the wild boar community, it is customary to fight for territories and females, and the winner gets not one, but several ladies at once.
Pregnancy lasts about 130 days. Usually piglets are born in April. Having farrowed, the wild pig feeds the striped babies with milk. If she needs to leave the nest, she securely digs in the babies and covers them with branches and leaves. Until the children grow up, the young mother will not return to the pack and will lead a solitary life.
Wild boar outside the forest
In many regions, people are forced to regulate the number of this animal. The fact is that a hungry wild boar can cause damage to the national economy. This brave beast sneaks into vegetable gardens, fields and melon fields, digs up potatoes, beets and other root crops, tramples and eats watermelons with its hooves, and destroys thickets of corn. Moreover, driving a bully out of the garden is not so easy.
Hunting
Experienced hunters know not only how tasty the meat of this animal is, but also how smart, cunning and strong the cleaver boar is, why it is dangerous for people and how to defeat it. For hunting, smooth-bore weapons with a caliber of at least 12 mm and a bullet weight of 35 grams or more are used. A beginner should absolutely not mess with this beast; the help of an experienced mentor is necessary. Killing a boar is not easy. Having been wounded, he becomes ferocious, and thanks to his phenomenal endurance and vitality, he is able not only to repel an attack, but also to take brutal revenge.
Danger to humans
A wild boar is a gentle and caring mother for her babies, turning into a ferocious monster if someone intends to offend them. There are many cases where female wild pigs attacked people, protecting their offspring from real or even imaginary danger. Therefore, in the spring it is better not to meddle in the forests inhabited by these animals unnecessarily.
The wild boar or wild pig is a widespread species. They inhabit all of Europe, and in Asia they live everywhere to Southern Siberia, Transbaikalia and the Far East. The boar also inhabits tropical areas of the mainland. It can be found in some areas of North and Central America, as well as Argentina.The boar lives in a wide variety of places - from dark coniferous taiga to tropical forests and deserts. In Europe, it especially loves oak and beech forests, and in the Caucasus, especially in autumn, it lives in fruit forests. Often the boar stays along the valleys of mountain rivers.
The size of the wild boar's habitat depends on the availability of food and the protection of the land. In summer, groups of wild boars usually travel 4-8 km per day. The boar leads a wandering lifestyle. It happens that such a wild boar runs about 20 km during the night. It often appears where it has not been observed before, and disappears again. A large territory is occupied by single wild boars, and the minimum habitat area is occupied by pigs with small piglets.
The wild boar feeds on a variety of foods: plant bulbs, roots, nuts, berries, grass, bird eggs, lizards, snakes, frogs, worms and insects. But they can also raid agricultural land, especially when natural food crops fail.
More than 25 subspecies are known. All of them are characterized by a stocky body structure with a size of up to 175 cm and a height of up to 100 cm, with a body weight of 60-150 kg. The boar has a large head, long wide ears and small eyes.
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Wild boars, with the exception of adult males and females with small piglets, lead a herd lifestyle. Wild boars form the largest herds in the fall at the beginning of the rutting period, when males join groups of pigs with young animals. On average, a pig gives birth to 4-6 piglets. Newborn piglets weigh 600-650 g. The striped coloring, which lasts until July, makes them invisible. The mother feeds the piglets for 2.5-3.5 months.
The herd protects its members: adult wild boars are armed with powerful tusks and vigilantly guard the herd. Choppers are very dangerous; even a pack of wolves does not always dare to attack pigs. There are known cases of wolves dying from blows from boar tusks.
During the day, wild boars like to lie down in holes and in dense undergrowth, preferring damp, marshy places. The movements of a wild pig are clumsy but fast. She can make her way through thickets that are completely impassable for other animals. Pigs are excellent swimmers and can cross waters up to 8 kilometers wide.
All wild pigs are cautious, but have excellent hearing, and can sense the presence of a person half a kilometer away. They come out to feed at night.
Usually the boar behaves cautiously and avoids meeting people. A pig with piglets and a wounded wild boar are dangerous for both hunting dogs and hunters. In this case, the wild boars defend themselves.
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If you hurt one of the cubs, the mother does not think about the consequences. She immediately rushes even at an armed person. Females whose cubs have been taken away do not stop pursuing the kidnappers for a long time.
The boar does not attack the hunter immediately after the shot, but when the hunter continues to look for him. The boar, in furious anger, tramples the ground with its feet, rubs its fangs against each other, as if sharpening them, snorts and attacks the enemy with amazing speed. If the boar misses, it rushes on without stopping. The female behaves completely differently. She tries to go back and bite the enemy.
In case of danger, the animal begins to sniff, turning its whole body. This must be taken into account if a wild boar attacks: a stiff neck does not allow the boar to turn its head, and this feature has saved more than one hunting life.
Wild boars are especially dangerous. They are very aggressive and will attack even when they are not in danger. A wild boar, in addition to various plant foods, devours all kinds of carrion, the corpses of its own kind, and sometimes turns into a real predator: it pursues calves and stray cattle, and if there is no other prey, it devours the cubs of other wild boars.
The character of this animal is a strange mixture of confident calm and extraordinary irritability.
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And when a wild boar attacks, it is very scary. They have powerful weapons - fangs. All tusks, both lower and upper, grow upward, are strongly curved and extremely sharp. And with age, this weapon not only does not become dull, but becomes increasingly sharp. The wounds they cause can be fatal.
The attacking boar, with amazing dexterity, plunges its weapon into the legs and stomach of its enemies, quickly moving its heavy head, inflicting long, torn wounds. One day two foresters tracked down a herd. They waylaid him on a forest path, and both shot at the leader. The enraged beast rushed at the hunters, so quickly that they did not even have time to reload their guns. One hunter managed to climb a pine tree, while the other was knocked down by the beast. If not for his friend, who managed to reload the gun and kill the enraged animal, the hunter could have been mortally wounded. However, the adventures of the unfortunate man did not end there. The mortally wounded animal fell and crushed the hunter, breaking several of his ribs.
To avoid collisions with wild boars, follow a number of rules:
- If you come across a pack of wild boars, try to leave before they notice you.
- Do not go close to the boar, even if it is only a piglet - its mother may be nearby.
- Be as careful as possible, pay attention to footprints on the ground or snow. If you notice footprints, move away from the path or go in the other direction.
- If the boar is very close, then do not try to hit it, this will only anger the animal. Try to hide or climb a tall tree.
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Height: up to 100 cm Weight: 60-150 kg Habitat: Europe, in Asia it lives up to Southern Siberia, Transbaikalia and the Far East. Can be found in some areas of North and Central America and Argentina. |
The wild boar is a representative of the artiodactyl order of the pig family. Forms a separate genus. It has another name - boar or wild pig.
Outwardly very different from its domestic counterpart. Boar is denser. Compared to the domestic pig, it has longer legs. The head is elongated. They have long erect ears. Males have large lower and upper canines. The fur on the body is long and hard, thicker in winter and less frequent in summer. It can be dark grey, brown or black. There is a mane on the head and back. The muzzle, legs and tail are usually black. In some areas of Central Asia you can find light-colored individuals.
Boar dimensions
The boar can have different sizes, it depends on the area where it lives. The northern inhabitants are larger than the southern ones. The smallest wild boars live in southeast Asia and southern India, weighing about 45 kg. Individuals living in the Carpathians can weigh up to 200 kg. The largest representatives of the genus live in the northeastern part of Europe, right up to the Urals. Their weight reaches 300 kg. The largest recorded weight of this animal was 320 kg. In Italy you can find a boar weighing 150 kg, and in France - 230 kg.
On average, the weight of an adult varies from 80 to 120 kg. Their body reaches 0.9-2 meters in length. At the withers they grow to 55-110 cm in height.
They have a tail, the length of which is 15-40 cm. Males have long fangs protruding outward. Females, unlike males, have small fangs that are not visible outwardly. The offspring of wild boars up to 6 months of age differ in color from adult individuals; they have light, yellow and brown stripes along their body. This color perfectly camouflages from predators.
Wild boar habitat
Wild boars are common inhabitants of Russian forests. Preferred habitat is wooded areas and marshy areas. The boar loves to lie in the swamp mud. Representatives of this genus live in Europe, central, southeastern and eastern Asia, the Middle East, India and northern Africa. This animal is not found in steppe areas, mountains and arid areas.
The wild boar lives in some areas of Siberia; it can be found in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and in the southern part of the Irkutsk region. Today it lives in the forests of the Moscow region and in territories located to the north. In search of food, it can climb into high mountain meadows, but the altitude should not exceed 3300 meters. In Kazakhstan and Central Asia, he chose coniferous and deciduous forests for living, and fruit forests in the Caucasus.
In the 13th century, these animals disappeared from Great Britain, in the 19th century from Denmark, and at the beginning of the 20th century, wild boars disappeared from Austria, Germany, Italy and northern Africa. In 1930, the wild pig was almost completely exterminated in Russia. However, since 1950 the population began to revive. Today, the wild boar lives even in Foggy Albion.
They also live in wildlife parks in England. The largest population lives in Sweden. Its population is more than 100 thousand individuals. Representatives of the genus are also found in North America, more precisely, in the eastern part of the USA, where they were brought specifically for hunting. There is a population in Australia, but it is not wild boars that live there, but domestic ones that escaped from farms, went wild and have now adapted to life in the wild and continue to reproduce. In behavior and lifestyle, representatives of this population do not differ from wild boars, but still are not them.
Boar behavior and nutrition
Females live in groups, the number of which can reach up to 50 individuals. The mature female dominates there. Males prefer a solitary lifestyle and come into groups only during the mating season. They hunt and search for food in the morning and evening twilight. During the day and night hours, wild boars prefer to rest. These animals have excellent hearing and an excellent sense of smell, but their vision is poor.
Thanks to their tusks, wild boars can dig the ground and get out rhizomes, tubers, and plant bulbs. This is their main food. They also feed on berries, fruits, and nuts. In spring and summer, they eat young grass, leaves of trees and shrubs, and shoots. From animal food they eat bird eggs, worms, insects, fish, they love frogs and snakes. They also eat carrion, as well as young lambs and deer. Boars are excellent swimmers and can easily cross a lake or river. They run well, can reach fairly high speeds, and given their size and weight, they are very dangerous for enemies.
Reproduction and lifespan
In the wild, wild boars live 10-12 years; in captivity, animals live up to 20 years. Between November and December, wild boars go into rut. In males, a subcutaneous protective “shell” grows - muscles 2-3 cm thick. It is located on the sides and serves as protection from the fangs of an opponent, which he can injure in the fight for the female. Also during this period, animals accumulate fat.
During the mating season, males constantly participate in battles for females, and therefore they lose weight and become weaker. They have many wounds on their bodies. The winner can receive up to 8 females. The duration of pregnancy is approximately 115 days. Childbirth takes place in April. The first time a female usually gives birth to 2-3 piglets. Subsequently, she gives birth to 4-6 cubs. There are times when there may be 10-12 piglets in a litter. When there are 3 days left before giving birth, the female leaves the herd. She looks for a place for herself, digs a hole there, covers it with branches and gives birth there.
At birth, a piglet weighs from 750 grams to 1 kg. For the first 4-6 days they sit in the nest, and then the female and her offspring return to the herd. The offspring goes everywhere with their mother. The female feeds the cubs with milk for 3.5 months. Growth in these animals continues up to 5-6 years. Females become sexually mature at 1.5 years, and males at 5-6 years.
Boar's enemies
All predators are enemies of wild boars. But they usually attack young individuals, since adult boars are strong, large, have strong legs, and males also have sharp fangs. Therefore, the boar is able to fight back, and even, in some cases, the attacker dies, but more often receives serious injuries.
The main enemy of the wild pig is man. The main enemy remains man. People hunted and continue to hunt. In most cases, the animal is killed in order to make a stuffed animal out of its head and thus demonstrate their skill as a hunter. People eat the meat of these animals; it is very tasty and nutritious. Boar bristles were used to make massage hair brushes, toothbrushes and brushes for applying shaving foam.
Nowadays, bristles are not used to make toothbrushes - it is unhygienic, but shaving brushes and hair brushes are still sometimes made from it. Painting brushes are also made from bristles. Boar skin can be eaten. Today, hunting this animal has acquired a sporting character; it is done for fun, not for food. They often hunt with dogs or hunt down prey on horseback.
If a hunter encounters a boar, especially a wounded one, then the person is in mortal danger. The animal rushes at the enemy with lightning speed, and if you do not run to the side in time, you can die. The boar does not attack again. Under normal conditions, the wild boar is not aggressive. The exception is females with offspring; if the mother decides that the children are in danger, then she will protect them to the last.
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Experienced hunters have probably encountered an animal like a boar in the forest, hunting it. They are found not only in forests, but also in desert areas. What is this animal, where does the wild boar live and what does it look like? We will talk about this in the article and learn a lot of interesting things about the life of a wild animal.
The boar animal and its description
The boar is the ancestor of the domestic pig. The mammal belongs to the order Artiodactyla, suborder Porciniformes, a genus of wild boars of the pig family. The animal also has other names: cleaver; boar; wild pig.
Despite the fact that the boar descended from the domestic pig, it is externally different from a domestic animal. He has more dense and short body, legs are thicker and taller in size. His head is taller and thinner, his ears are also longer and pointed. Moreover, the ears are erect, not like those of a domestic pig.
The boar constantly lower canines grow. In males they are more developed than in females, larger and protruding from the mouth. On the back, due to the thick stubble, something like a mane is formed. It rises with a comb when the boar is in an aggressive state. During the cold season, undergrowth grows under the bristles.
The stubble on the body has black-brown color with a reddish tint. The underfur is brownish-gray in color and all together creates an overall color of gray-brown-black. The remaining parts of the body - legs, tail and muzzle - are black. The color of the animal depends on its habitat; it can be black or very light, almost whitish. Such specimens are found in the area of Lake Balkhash.
The dimensions of the animal are up to 1 meter in height at the withers and body length up to 175 cm. The average weight of a boar is usually about 100 kg, but larger animals weighing up to 150–200 kg are found. In Eastern Europe, these animals can weigh up to 275 kg, and in Manchuria and Primorye up to 0.5 tons.
Females are smaller than males, their height at the withers is up to 90 cm and maximum can weigh up to 160 kg. Their lifespan is typically 14 years, but can live longer in captivity up to 20 years when the area becomes protected.
Habitat
These animals prefer to settle in wooded areas and swampy areas. Wild boars live throughout the European part to the Scandinavian Peninsula. They also live in Asia and in the northern part of Transbaikalia, the Far East, in the south of Siberia.
Boars live in Argentina and also in Central and North America. Boars inhabited North Africa, but hunting them was too popular, so they were practically exterminated.
These animals can live in a variety of places on our planet, even in tropical forests and deserts. In Europe, wild boars love to live in oak and beech forests. There is a lot of marshy areas, fields and meadows. Boars prefer to settle in Central Asia in deciduous and spruce forests, as well as in nut and fruit groves.
Boars cannot stay in one place for a long time, so migrate in search of food. Boars look for habitats with large crops or a variety of food growing. In the European part, the largest population is in Sweden, more than 1,000 individuals.
Behavior and nutrition
The lifestyle of males is different from that of females. Males prefer solitude and live alone. Females gather in groups with their cubs, their total number can be up to 50 individuals. Males come to the group only during the mating season.
Wild boars hunt in search of food in the morning or evening hours. At night and during the day, wild boars like to rest quietly. Animals have an acute sense of hearing and smell. Their vision is rather weak, so they rely more on other sense organs.
Boars love to eat plant foods, they are in constant search of new and fresh food. Thanks to well-developed tusks, boars dig the ground and dig up the following:
- roots;
- plant bulbs;
- tubers.
Wild boars also like to eat other types of vegetation:
- Berries.
- Fruits.
- Nuts.
In spring and summer, animals eat with pleasure:
- Young grass.
- Leaves of bushes and trees.
- By shoots.
Since wild boars eat not only plant foods, they also eat food of animal origin using:
- bird eggs;
- snake;
- frogs;
- fish;
- insects;
- worms
Adults also attack larger food of animal origin, for example, lambs or young deer, and do not disdain carrion.
Boars are excellent swimmers, they are excellent swimmers and are able to cover greater distances in water. The animal can easily swim across a river or lake O. Despite their heavy weight, wild boars run fast, therefore they are considered dangerous enemies for many animals.
Reproduction of boars and females
The average lifespan of a wild boar is 10–12 years. From September to December, wild boars go into rut. Males develop a protective subcutaneous shell - the thickness of the muscle is 2–3 cm.
It is located on the sides and serves as protection from enemy attacks. This also helps protect against the fangs of a rival during the mating season in the fight for the female. During this period, they accumulate additional fat.
During the mating season among males there is constant struggle for females. During this period they lose weight and strength. Many wounds appear on their body, but it is worth it since the male can get up to 8 females for mating.
The female carries the cubs for about 115 days, they appear in April 2-3 piglets. This number occurs only in females who give birth for the first time; then she gives birth to 4–5 cubs.
There have been cases when a female managed to give birth to 10–12 piglets. The offspring always remains with the mother; she feeds them with her milk for about 3.5 months. Sexual maturity in females begins at one and a half years, and in males at 5–6 years.
People have long hunted wild boars, so the main enemy of this animal is man. Mostly hunting is carried out for the animal's skin, although its meat is considered very tasty and nutritious.
Wild pig, wild boar, boar, cleaver (lat. Sus scrofa) - all these are the names of one animal from the pig family. This is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, which is found in wooded and swampy areas throughout almost all of Eurasia. In the north, it has penetrated even into the harsh Siberian taiga; in the south, its range reaches tropical regions. In addition, he lives on the islands of Sulawesi, New Guinea, Java, etc.
The body of the wild boar is shorter and denser, its legs are slightly higher and thicker, and its head is thinner than those of its domestic descendants. Both females and males have sharp fangs, but in the latter they are much longer and more developed. The body size of the animal varies from 130 to 175 cm, and the weight is usually in the range of 80-150 kg, although sometimes 275 kg individuals are found.
All parts of the boar's body are covered with elastic bristles. In old males, the back and sides are protected by a kind of armor made from a mixture of resin and animal hair. This helps the cleaver avoid serious wounds when fighting with a rival for a female. The color can be gray, black or light brown. A wild pig has a ridge of fur on its back, which becomes erect when excited.
Wild boars prefer areas with plenty of water, overgrown with bushes or reeds. Adult males lead a solitary lifestyle and join females only during the breeding season. Females, on the contrary, love the company of their own kind - together with their cubs, they gather in flocks of 10 to 30 individuals. Young and weak males are right there, not wanting to leave their mother’s group prematurely.
From November to January, wild pigs undergo mating season. Males become irritable, they wander around a lot in search of females and hardly eat. When meeting each other, they engage in fierce battles, sometimes causing serious injuries. By the end of the rut they lose up to 1/5 of their weight. As a rule, there are from one to three females per male.
Pregnancy lasts from 125 to 140 days. On average, one female gives birth to 4-6 piglets, although there are cases when 10-12 babies were born at the same time. Newborns weigh only 850 g and do not leave the nest for the first week, patiently waiting for the mother to return. The female “visits” them every 3-4 hours, feeds them for about 15-20 minutes and goes in search of food. When leaving, she carefully covers them with the forest floor.
The mother fiercely protects the cubs from enemies and does not allow anyone to even get close to her offspring. The piglets accompany her everywhere from the second week of life. They learn to dig the ground and find food for themselves. The mother feeds them milk for up to 3.5 months. At 1.5 years they become sexually mature.
Adult boars feed on seeds, nuts, berries, rhizomes and bulbs of plants, leaves, branches, bark and young shoots. They do not refuse carrion, snakes, frogs, lizards, fish, worms and insect larvae. They can attack sick and injured large animals such as roe deer, fallow deer or deer in order to kill and eat them. Sometimes they visit fields of grain, potatoes or turnips, unceremoniously trampling and tearing up agricultural crops.
Hunting for a wild boar is extremely dangerous, since a wounded animal will resist the offender until its last breath. When attacking, males use their sharp fangs, and females try to knock the victim down and trample it with her front legs. Nevertheless, there are no fewer people willing to measure their strength with a formidable enemy.
In heraldry, the boar symbolizes courage and fearlessness.