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Why are they called 'feral hogs' in America? This is the original wild species of pigs, if I'm not mistaken. I think wild boar would be better. We also don't ca

Why are they called 'feral hogs' in America? This is the original wild species of pigs, if I'm not mistaken. I think wild boar would be better. We also don't call wolves 'feral dogs,' no matter how little we like them.

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someonehere 3y ago
If I recall, there was a Wired article about this problem. Original European settlers brought over domesticated hogs during colonization. I believe to raise and to hunt. They eventually were abandoned or got out and starting breeding with wild hogs.
dgoodell 3y ago
You are mistaken. There might be a bit of hybridization with some wild boars that were brought over and escaped, but these are feral pigs.
- febeling 3y ago
  Yes, it's said they are descendants of domestic pigs, my bad. They do look like wild boar though, and seem to revert back to their wild form quickly and be similarly dangerous animals.
fauxpause_ 3y ago
A boar is just a male pig with that was not castrated
- febeling 3y ago
  There's the pile on, and then of course it topples over at some point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar
every 3y ago
The North American "feral pigs" tearing up Texas should not be confused with javelinas[1] that have been on the continent since the Miocene... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary
EntrePrescott 3y ago
> Why are they called 'feral hogs' in America? because they are domestic pigs gone feral, plus a minority of boar-pig hybrids resulting from the contact with wild boar. > This is the original wild species of pigs (…) I think wild boar would be better Feral hogs are not the same thing as wild boar. The latter are the ancestor species from which pigs descended, whereas the former are domestic pigs gone feral plus a minority of hybrids. Western wild boar have a chromosome count of 2n = 36, whereas pigs (including the majority of feral hogs that aren't hybrids) have a chromosome count of 2n = 38. Hybrids typically have 37 or 38 chromosomes. > We also don't call wolves 'feral dogs,' … because they aren't, just like wild boar aren't feral hogs. Wolves aren't domestic dogs who went feral but just wolves who stayed wolves. So the equivalent of the wolf in the porcine world would be the wild boar, not the feral hog, of which the equivalent in the canine world is… a feral dog.
- achow 3y ago
  Also.. Although the domestic pig as we know it today took hundreds of years to breed, just a few months in the wild is enough to make a domestic pig turn feral. It will grow tusks, thick hair, and become more aggressive. https://mybosstools.com/fun-facts-domestic-pigs/ https://mybosstools.com/fun-facts-domestic-pigs/

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someonehere 3y ago

If I recall, there was a Wired article about this problem. Original European settlers brought over domesticated hogs during colonization. I believe to raise and to hunt. They eventually were abandoned or got out and starting breeding with wild hogs.

dgoodell 3y ago

You are mistaken. There might be a bit of hybridization with some wild boars that were brought over and escaped, but these are feral pigs.

febeling 3y ago
Yes, it's said they are descendants of domestic pigs, my bad. They do look like wild boar though, and seem to revert back to their wild form quickly and be similarly dangerous animals.

fauxpause_ 3y ago

A boar is just a male pig with that was not castrated

febeling 3y ago
There's the pile on, and then of course it topples over at some point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_boar

every 3y ago

The North American "feral pigs" tearing up Texas should not be confused with javelinas[1] that have been on the continent since the Miocene... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peccary

EntrePrescott 3y ago

> Why are they called 'feral hogs' in America? because they are domestic pigs gone feral, plus a minority of boar-pig hybrids resulting from the contact with wild boar. > This is the original wild species of pigs (…) I think wild boar would be better Feral hogs are not the same thing as wild boar. The latter are the ancestor species from which pigs descended, whereas the former are domestic pigs gone feral plus a minority of hybrids. Western wild boar have a chromosome count of 2n = 36, whereas pigs (including the majority of feral hogs that aren't hybrids) have a chromosome count of 2n = 38. Hybrids typically have 37 or 38 chromosomes. > We also don't call wolves 'feral dogs,' … because they aren't, just like wild boar aren't feral hogs. Wolves aren't domestic dogs who went feral but just wolves who stayed wolves. So the equivalent of the wolf in the porcine world would be the wild boar, not the feral hog, of which the equivalent in the canine world is… a feral dog.

achow 3y ago
Also.. Although the domestic pig as we know it today took hundreds of years to breed, just a few months in the wild is enough to make a domestic pig turn feral. It will grow tusks, thick hair, and become more aggressive. https://mybosstools.com/fun-facts-domestic-pigs/ https://mybosstools.com/fun-facts-domestic-pigs/