Wild boar
Sus scrofaChelsea Warner
Mammalogy/BIOL 5760
Fall 2016Figure 1. Example of Sus scrofa
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Theria
Infraclass: Eutheria
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus
Species: Sus scrofa
NOTE:
In 1981, 16 subspecies (potentially 17) subspecies were recognized, while others were clumped together. [4]
Other Names
Wild swine [2]
Eurasian wild pig [3]
“Scrofa” is Latin for “sow” [3]
Distinguishing Characteristics
Dental Formula: I 3/3, C 1/1, P 4/4, M 3/3 [5]
Unique characteristics:
Coarse grizzled hair – brown, black, gray [9]
Large canines (most prominent in males) [9]
Coat color varies with age [2]
nicotinic acetylcholine receptor - protects against
snake venom [6]
Adult size dependent on environmental factors
Weight 35-200 kg [9]
Body length 1.3-1.8 m [9]
Sexual dimorphism
Males larger in size [4]
Males tusks more prominent [4]
Figure 2. Dentition
Figure 3. Large adult male
Figure 4. Piglet
Abundance
Occurs on all
continents except
Antarctica [4]
Easily adaptable
and considered a
pest in many areas [4]
Extirpated in British
Isles, Scandinavia,
parts of North
Africa, and large
areas in the former
Soviet Union and
northern Japan [4]
Distribution
Abundant in most
areas of its range. [4]
Depressed in some
areas that have high
hunting pressure. [4]
Several populations
still increasing. [4]
Home Range
Adults – 500-2000 ha [4]
Subadults- 500-5000
ha [4]
6-12 months 10000 +
ha (likely dispersion
from natal groups) [4]
Figure 5.
Range map
Habitats Occupied
Almost anywhere with tree cover and
water [4]
Various temperate and tropical habitats [4]
Tropical rain forest- semi desert [4]
Woodlands [4]
Will utilize agricultural land and grasslands
to forage [4]
Figure 6. Grassland
Figure 7. Temperate forest
Diet
Omnivorous
90% vegetation (fruits, seeds, roots, tubers) [4]
Diet depends on food availability [4]
Indonesia – primarily frugivorous [4]
West Malaysia (ag lands) – primarily sugar cane, tapioca, and
rice [4]
Animal matter – detrimental to some species such as sea
turtles [4]
Figure 8. Tubers
Figure 9. Hard mastFigure 10. Sea turtle eggs
Diseases and Parasites
Brucellosis [10]
Sarcoptic mange [4]
Hog cholera [4]
Figure 11. Lifecycle of Brucellosis
Figure 12. Sarcoptic
mange miteFigure 13. Kidneys of a positive
case of hog cholera
Behavior
More active in early morning and late afternoon [4]
Nocturnal in some areas [4]
4-8 hours spent foraging [4]
Social activity [4]
Live in sounders – group of females and last litters [4]
6-20 individuals [4]
Occasional bachelor groups of subadult males [4]
Reproduction, Life History, Lifespan
Females may begin reproducing at < 1 year of age [1]
Typically one litter per year [1]
May have 2 if female unsuccessful at raising the first litter [1]
Litter size varies upon geographic location [4]
Average 4-6 piglets [2]
Gestation 114-140 days (dependent upon age) [2]
Most die by their first birthday [8]
If they survive their 2nd and 3rd birthdays they are likely to live to age 5 [8]
Some have lived to as old as 9 years [8]
Genetics
chromosome number: 2n = 38 [7]
DNA sequence data: XX/XY [7]
Likely that wild populations are no longer pure due to cross breeding
with domestic swine. [4]
Conservation Status
Least concern [4]
Some subspecies are threatened [4]
Ryukyu Islands' dwarf wild pig, S. s. riukiuanus [4]
Conservation plans are to increase awareness of such subspecies [4]
Overall S. scrofa is highly adaptable and resistant [4]
Biggest threat is genetic contamination [4]
Management actions are to prevent cross breeding between domestic and
wild populations. [4]
Questions?
References 1. Bieber, Claudia, and Thomas Ruf. "Population dynamics in wild boar Sus scrofa: ecology, elasticity of
growth rate and implications for the management of pulsed resource consumers." Journal of Applied Ecology42.6 (2005): 1203-1213.
2. Geptner, Vladimir Georgievich, et al. Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol. 2. Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National Science Foundation, 1998.
3. Oliver, W. L. R., I. L. Brisbin, and S. Takahashi. "The Eurasian wild pig (Sus scrofa)." Pigs, peccaries and hippos: status survey and action plan (1993): 112-121.
4. Oliver, W. & Leus, K. 2008. Sus scrofa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T41775A10559847. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T41775A10559847.en. Downloaded on 25 October 2016.
5. Matschke, George H. "Aging European wild hogs by dentition." The Journal of Wildlife Management (1967): 109-113.
6. Drabeck, Danielle H., Antony M. Dean, and Sharon A. Jansa. "Why the honey badger don't care: Convergent evolution of venom-targeted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mammals that survive venomous snake bites." Toxicon 99 (2015): 68-72.
7. Makino, Sajiro. "The Chromosome Complex of the Pig (Sus scrofa)(Chromosome studies in domestic mammals, III)." Cytologia 13.2 (1944): 170-178.
8. Jezierski, Włodzimierz. "Longevity and mortality rate in a population of wild boar." Acta Theriologica 22.24 (1977): 337-348.
9. Kays, Roland W., and Don E. Wilson. Mammals of North America. Princeton University Press, 2009.
10. Cvetnic, Z., et al. "Wild boars (Sus scrofa) as reservoirs of Brucella suis biovar 2 in Croatia." ActaVeterinaria Hungarica 51.4 (2003): 465-473.
Figure References Figure 1. http://www.gettyimages.com/license/601039752
Figure 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar#/media/File:Animaldentition_susscrofa.png
Figure 3. https://www.google.com/search?q=sus+scrofa+piglet&newwindow=1&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJrbqizYDQAhWEPCYKHR2wB7cQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=633#imgrc=oj9edOlArIS4jM%3A
Figure 4. https://www.google.com/search?q=sus+scrofa+piglet&newwindow=1&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJrbqizYDQAhWEPCYKHR2wB7cQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=633#imgrc=jbVB0kjJ3ARZqM%3A
Figure 5. https://www.google.com/search?q=sus+scrofa+range+map&newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj7t7S344DQAhUDKyYKHSO6DeEQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=eKombEMZxiTa-M%3A
Figure 6. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=grasslands&oq=grasslands&gs_l=img.3..0l10.66541.72859.0.73207.25.16.2.4.4.0.180.1505.10j5.15.0....0...1c.1.64.img..6.17.1170...0i8i10i30k1j0i8i30k1j0i67k1j0i10k1.AgsoHgBa_xU#imgrc=1s47S5A22cSldM%3A
Figure 7. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=temperate+forests&oq=temperate+forests&gs_l=img.3..0l10.80510.85437.0.86127.17.12.0.5.5.0.1721.2477.1j3j1j8-1.6.0....0...1c.1.64.img..6.11.2510...0i67k1.uiJjRmm9odE#imgrc=JU_naDNTAzrzTM%3A
Figure 8. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=tubers&oq=tubers&gs_l=img.3..0i67k1l2j0l5j0i67k1j0l2.9360.9928.0.10303.6.5.0.0.0.0.201.476.0j2j1.3.0....0...1c.1.64.img..3.3.471.BInWn_Gsi-Y#imgrc=Gv_ugBVNo01DfM%3A
Figure 9. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=hard++mast&oq=hard++mast&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i30k1j0i8i30k1l5j0i24k1l2.113192.115288.0.115497.10.10.0.0.0.0.156.1118.3j7.10.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.10.1109.He0GBpA9Lt4#imgrc=Fj9K0HGRT4tj9M%3A
Figure 10. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sea+turtle+eggs&oq=sea+turtle+eggs&gs_l=img.3..0l4j0i7i30k1l2j0i7i5i30k1l4.34941.42156.0.42647.21.15.1.0.0.0.216.1675.7j7j1.15.0....0...1c.1.64.img..7.14.1473...0i8i7i30k1j0i67k1.q888TUflnuk#imgrc=YBbPcdqGakgeqM%3A
Figure 11. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=brucellosis&oq=brucellosis&gs_l=img.3..0j0i67k1l2j0l7.67133.69628.0.70465.13.13.0.0.0.0.284.1499.6j6j1.13.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.13.1487...0i24k1.P0QnGGd6FFs#imgrc=I2N6Q6VgyG81LM%3A
Figure 12. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sarcoptic+mange+wild+boar&oq=sarcoptic+mange+wild+boar&gs_l=img.3...19451.24146.0.24283.10.10.0.0.0.0.245.959.6j2j1.9.0....0...1c.1.64.img..1.3.242...0j0i67k1j0i24k1.J8rLAIKQ8EI#imgrc=ueTRrtcNuDUGcM%3A
Figure 13. https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=633&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=Hog+cholera+&oq=Hog+cholera+&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i30k1j0i24k1l7.139273.139273.0.139556.1.1.0.0.0.0.209.209.2-1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.1.205.eJ96zY-Gy4o#imgrc=iBCeSdVjfjy8BM%3A
Figure References Continued
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