Gioca STEMAnimals

Animals · Woods and fields of North America

Wild boar

Sus scrofa

The snout that reads the soil

An adult wild boar roots in the undergrowth as its snout detects buried roots and tubers.
An adult wild boar roots in the undergrowth as its snout detects buried roots and tubers.
  • Status: Safe
  • Woods, oak forests, and countryside throughout Italy, including the islands

Numbers

Weight
200 lb180-200 lb in central and southern Italy and Sardinia, 220-440 lb in the Italian Alps
Length
6 ftmaximum length of adults, excluding the tail
Height
3 ftheight at the shoulders
Lifespan
10 yearsin captivity it can reach almost thirty years
Tusks
12 inlower canine teeth of the male, normally 6-8 in
Teeth
44 intwelve incisors, four canines, sixteen premolars, twelve molars
Herd territory
8 miterritories of males can be twice as large

Ten fun facts

  1. has forty-four teeth and canine teeth that grow for life, reaching over twelve inches in males.

  2. sharpen their lower tusks automatically by rubbing them against the upper ones whenever they close their mouths.

  3. has skin so thick that it easily resists viper bites, except on its bare exposed snout.

  4. is among the very few hooved animals that build a den, dug out with its snout and hooves.

  5. about three out of every hundred wild boars are born spotted due to a recessive trait from domestic pigs.

  6. lives across Italy from the Aosta Valley to Calabria, and was introduced by humans to Sardinia, Sicily, and Elba.

  7. stops searching for almost any other kind of food whenever acorns are abundant in the forest.

  8. has a stomach with only two compartments, whereas peccaries have three and ruminant animals have four.

  9. piglets are born with four or five light stripes, and the pattern is unique to each individual.

  10. males grow an armor of thick skin and fat on their neck and shoulders during mating season.

The quiz answers

The first one is the question printed in your book: here is the answer. The other four are extra.

Question 1 of 5★ this one is in your book

How many teeth does an adult wild boar have?

Question 2 of 5

What is the purpose of taking a mud bath?

Question 3 of 5

Who leads a group of wild boars?

Question 4 of 5

How much does a wild boar in central and southern Italy weigh on average?

Question 5 of 5

Why do the tusks of a wild boar stay sharp?

Try it yourself

Experiment 1

Measure twelve inches on a measuring tape, which is the maximum length of an adult male tusk, and compare it to your forearm.

Experiment 2

Hide a piece of fruit under soil in a pot and try finding it using only your smell, as a snout can do it in seconds.

Experiment 3

Find an area of eight square miles on a map, which is the space a herd of wild boars uses to live and search for food.

Data from Wikidata (Q58697) and Wikipedia (Wild boar).