The Central European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) is a medium-sized ungulate (hoofed) mammal, and a subspecies of the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). It is also known as the Eurasian Wild Pig. Regionally, it is known as the Western Wild Boar. It is a suid.

The Central European Wild Boar is dark grey-black or rusty-brown in colour. Its fur is thick and coarse and it also has thick underwool. The male has a thin mane along his back, and the female does not have a mane. It has a high skull and a big head. It has a short, thick neck, and a hump behind its shoulders. Its eyes are small and dark. The male has canine teeth which protrude from its mouth, and the female has smaller canine teeth.

 

It measures about 75-80 centimetres (30-31 inches) tall and 150 centimetres (59 inches) long. The male’s canine teeth measure 10-12 centimetres (4-5 inches) long. Males are larger and heavier than females.

The Wild Boar is native to Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Greater Sunda Islands. The Central European Wild Boar is native to Europe. It can live in a wide range of habitats, from alpine areas to deserts. It also likes forests.

It can run at 40 kilometres per hour (25 miles per hour) for short periods. It is an excellent swimmer and digger and it has a good sense of smell. It is an omnivore, eating plants, twigs, nuts, berries, seeds, worms, insects, molluscs, fish, rats and mice, lizards, frogs, toads, and bird eggs.

Its predators include the wolf, tiger, wild cats, and Komodo Dragon.

The male is generally solitary and the female is social, living with other females. The male is called a boar and the female is called a sow.

The sow is pregnant for 114-130 days, before giving birth to 4-6 live young, called piglets. The piglets have striped fur. The piglets feed from their mother’s mammary glands for 3-4 months.

The Central European Wild Boar lives for 10-14 years on average.

 

 

 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM