Timothy Howson, age 12, of Wichita, Kan., for his question:
IS THE WILD BOAR RELATED TO THE HOG FAMILY?
Yes, he is. The hog family includes quite an assortment of wild and domesticated pigs. In all cases, the male of the species is called a boar and the female is a sow. But in certain species called wild boars, the term boar includes the entire family. Actually, our farm pigs and the wild boars descended from the same ancestral hogs.
The old Latin word for hog was borrowed to name the entire pig family Suidae which includes both our placid farm hogs and the frisky wild boars of the woods. No doubt various wild boars were hunted in prehistoric times. But this story changed when the Neolithic people of the New Stone Age settled down and became farmers.
They discovered that sheep and cattle could be tended in herds, which was easier and less risky than hunting. However, those tasty wild pigs proved to be tough, independent characters who refused to live in tame or partly tame herds. So right from the start, most of the domesticated pigs were kept in pens or sties.
Through thousands of years, this sort of easy living brought about changes in the captive pigs. The toothy tusks, used to root for food and as defensive weapons, gradually dwindled. So did their bristly hair. Their lazy legs became shorter, and for reasons unknown they replaced their straight, stringy tails with sassy little curly tails.
In the meantime, the wild boars continued their age old lifestyle and changed very little. They have been hunted right up to modern times for their tasty meat, their fine bristles and sometimes for their ivory tusks. Though driven from many settled areas, large numbers still thrive in large regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. Other wild boars also live on Pacific islands, though none is native to the Americas.
The average wild boar of Europe and Asia is more than four feet long and may weigh up to 450 pounds. He stands about three feet tall on very strong legs and his straight, whiskery tail is about a foot long. He has a dark skin with a bristly black coat, often with a stiff mane and tufts on his cheeks.
All members of the Suidae family have splendid teeth, suitable for dining on a mixed diet of meat and vegetables. The wild hogs spend long hours digging for roots and tubers. And all pigs just love to wallow in soggy mud. Both wild and domesticated pigs prefer to live peaceable lives but when bothered they become fierce, fearless fighters.