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743 Featured Specimen
Wild boar

Details

Wild boar

Sus scrofa

Size
1–2 m · 50–200 kg
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Nocturnal
Sociality
Loose group
Lifespan

A large wild pig native across much of Eurasia and nearby regions. Its strong snout allows it to root through soil in forests, fields, and wetlands.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
PalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticAfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropicalAfrotropicalIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayan

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

Wild boar occupy forests, wetlands, grasslands, farms, and urban edges. Cover, water, and soil suitable for rooting are key habitat elements.

Appearance

The body is stocky and covered in coarse bristles. The head is long, males develop tusks, and piglets have striped coats.

Behavior

Females and young form sounders, while adult males are often solitary. Activity is commonly nocturnal, with extensive rooting while foraging.

Feeding

They are omnivores, eating roots, tubers, acorns, fruits, insects, earthworms, small animals, and carrion. Diet changes with season and land use.

Reproduction

Where food is abundant, reproduction can be rapid. Females give birth to litters in nests made from grasses, leaves, and branches.

Notes

In native ranges it is a natural ecosystem engineer, but introduced populations can cause severe agricultural and biodiversity impacts.