The wild boar (Sus scrofa), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world as well as the most widespread suiform. It has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats. It has become an invasive species in part of its introduced range. Wild boars probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene and outcompeted other suid species as they spread throughout the Old World. However, extensive interspecific introgression among suids has complicated the reconstruction of wild boar origins. A 2026 genomic study instead placed their origin in tropical continental Asia, with wild boars expanding from South Asia during the Middle Pleistocene and later spreading into Southeast Asian islands and across Eurasia.
, up to 16 subspecies are recognized, which are divided into four regional groupings based on skull height and lacrimal bone length. The species lives in matriarchal societies consisting of interrelated females and their young (both male and female). Fully grown males are usually solitary outside the breeding season. The wolf is the wild boar's main predator in most of its natural range except in the Far East and the Lesser Sunda Islands, where it is replaced by the tiger and Komodo dragon respectively. The wild boar has a long history of association with humans, having been the ancestor of most domestic pig breeds and a big-game animal for millennia. Boars have also re-hybridized in recent decades with feral pigs; these boar–pig hybrids have become a serious pest wild animal in the Americas and Australia.
Terminology As true wild boars became extinct in Great Britain before the development of Modern English, the same terms are often used for both true wild boar and pigs, especially large or semi-wild ones. The English boar stems from the Old English , which is thought to be derived from the West Germanic , of unknown origin. Boar is sometimes used specifically to refer to males, and may also be used to refer to male domesticated pigs, especially breeding males that have not been castrated.
Sow, the traditional name for a female, again comes from Old English and Germanic; it stems from Proto-Indo-European, and is related to the Latin sus and Ancient Greek hus, and more closely to the New High German . The young may be called piglets or boarlets.
The animals' specific name scrofa is Latin for 'sow'.
Hunting In hunting terminology, boars are given different designations according to their age:
Designation Age Image Squeaker 0–10 months Juvenile 10–12 months Pig of the sounder Second year Boar of the 3rd/4th/5th year 3rd–5th years Old boar Sixth year Grand old boar Over six years
Taxonomy and evolution
MtDNA studies indicate that the wild boar originated from islands in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and the Philippines, and subsequently spread onto mainland Eurasia and North Africa. The earliest fossil finds of the species come from both Europe and Asia, and date back to the Early Pleistocene.Ruvinsky, A. et al. (2011). "Systematics and evolution of the pig". In: Ruvinsky A, Rothschild MF (eds), The Genetics of the Pig. 2nd ed. CAB International, Oxon. pp. 1–13. By the late Villafranchian, S. scrofa largely displaced the related S. strozzii, a large, possibly swamp-adapted suid ancestral to the modern S. verrucosus throughout the Eurasian mainland, restricting it to insular Asia.Kurtén, Björn (1968). Pleistocene mammals of Europe. Weidenfeld and Nicolson. pp. 153–155 Its closest wild relative is the bearded pig of Malacca and surrounding islands.
Subspecies
, 16 subspecies are recognised, which are divided into four regional groupings: Western: Includes S. s. scrofa, S. s. meridionalis, S. s. algira, S. s. attila, S. s. lybicus, S. s. majori and S. s. nigripes. These subspecies are typically high-skulled (though lybicus and some scrofa are low-skulled), with thick underwool and (excepting scrofa and attila) poorly developed manes.Groves, C. P. et al. 1993. The Eurasian Suids Sus and Babyrousa. In Oliver, W. L. R., ed., Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos – 1993 Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, 107–108. IUCN/SSC Pigs and Peccaries Specialist Group, Indian: Includes S. s. davidi and S. s. cristatus. These subspecies have sparse or absent underwool, with long manes and prominent bands on the snout and mouth. While S. s. cristatus is high-skulled, S. s. davidi is low-skulled. Eastern: Includes S. s. sibiricus, S. s. ussuricus, S. s. leucomystax, S. s. riukiuanus, S. s. taivanus and S. s. moupinensis. These subspecies are characterised by a whitish streak extending from the corners of the mouth to the lower jaw. With the exception of S. s. ussuricus, most are high-skulled. The underwool is thick, except in S. s. moupinensis, and the mane is largely absent. Indonesian: Represented solely by S. s. vittatus, it is characterised by its sparse body hair, lack of underwool, fairly long mane, a broad reddish band extending from the muzzle to the sides of the neck. It is the most basal of the four groups, having the smallest relative brain size, more primitive dentition and unspecialised cranial structure.Hemmer, H. (1990), Domestication: The Decline of Environmental Appreciation, Cambridge University Press, pp. 55–59,
SpeciesSubspeciesOne-species TaxonomyEight-species TaxonomyCommon and scientific namesImageTrinomial authorityDescriptionRangeSynonymsWild boar S. scrofaNorthern boar S. scrofaCentral European boar S. s. scrofaNominate subspeciesLinnaeus, 1758A medium-sized, dark to rusty brown-haired subspecies with long and relatively narrow lacrimal bonesMuch of continental Europe and into EurasiaTrans-Baikal boar S. s. sibiricusStaffe, 1922The smallest subspecies of the former Soviet region, it has dark brown, almost black hair and a light grey patch extending from the cheeks to the ears. The skull is squarish and the lacrimal bones short.The Lake Baikal region, Transbaikalia, northern and northeastern Mongoliaraddeanus (Adlerberg, 1930)Ussuri boar S. s. ussuricusHeude, 1888The largest subspecies, it has usually dark hair and a white band extending from the corners of the mouth to the ears. The lacrimal bones are shortened, but longer than those of S. s. sibiricus.Eastern China, Korea, Ussuri and Amur Baycanescens (Heude, 1888), continentalis (Nehring, 1889), coreanus (Heude, 1897), gigas (Heude, 1892), mandchuricus (Heude, 1897), songaricus (Heude, 1897)North African boar S. s. algirus or S. algirusLoche, 1867Sometimes considered a junior synonym of S. s. scrofa, but smaller and with proportionally longer tusksKingdon, J. (1997). The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals. p. 329. Academic Press Limited. Tunisia, Algeria and Moroccobarbarus (Sclater, 1860) sahariensis (Heim de Balzac, 1937)Mediterranean boar S. meridionalisMaremman boar S. s. majori or S. m. majorDe Beaux and Festa, 1927Smaller than S. s. scrofa, with a higher and wider skull; since the 1950s, it has crossed extensively with S. s. scrofa, largely due to the two being kept together in meat farms and artificial introductions by hunters of S. s. scrofa specimens into S. s. majori habitats. Its separation from S. s. scrofa is doubtful.Maremma (central Italy)Tyrrhenian boar S. s. meridionalis or S. m. meridionalisForsyth Major, 1882The subspecies is significantly smaller than S. s. scrofa. The fur is dull olive-fawn, the underwool is sparse and individuals mostly lack a mane.Andalusia, Corsica and Sardiniabaeticus (Thomas, 1912) sardous (Ströbel, 1882)Black-footed boar S. nigripesCarpathian boar S. s. attilus or S. n. attilusThomas, 1912A large-sized subspecies with long lacrimal bones and dark hair, though lighter-coloured than S. s. scrofaRomania, Hungary, Ukraine, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, the Caspian coast, Asia Minor and northern Iranfalzfeini (Matschie, 1918)Central Asian boar S. s. davidi or S. n. davidiGroves, 1981A small, long-maned and light brown subspeciesPakistan and northwestern India to southeastern IranAnatolian boar S. s. libycus or S. n. lybicusGray, 1868A small, pale and almost maneless subspeciesTranscaucasia, Turkey, Levant and the former Yugoslavialybicus (Groves, 1981) mediterraneus (Ulmansky, 1911) reiseri (Bolkay, 1925)Northern Chinese boar S. s. moupinensis or S. n. moupinensisMilne-Edwards, 1871There are significant variations within this subspecies and it is possible there are actually several subspecies involved.Coastal China south to Vietnam and west to Sichuanacrocranius (Heude, 1892), chirodontus (Heude, 1888), chirodonticus (Heude, 1899), collinus (Heude, 1892), curtidens (Heude, 1892), dicrurus (Heude, 1888), flavescens (Heude, 1899), frontosus (Heude, 1892), laticeps (Heude, 1892), leucorhinus (Heude, 1888), melas (Heude, 1892), microdontus (Heude, 1892), oxyodontus (Heude, 1888), paludosus (Heude, 1892), palustris (Heude, 1888), planiceps (Heude, 1892), scrofoides (Heude, 1892), spatharius (Heude, 1892), taininensis (Heude, 1888)Middle Asian boar S. s. nigripes or S. n. nigripesBlanford, 1875A light coloured subspecies with black legs which, though varied in size, is generally quite large, the lacrimal bones and facial region of the skull are shorter than those of S. s. scrofa and S. s. attila.Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, the eastern Tien Shan, western Mongolia, Kashgar and possibly Afghanistan and southern IranIndian boar S. s. cristatus or S. cristatusWagner, 1839A long-maned subspecies with a coat that is brindled black unlike S. s. davidi, it is more lightly built than S. s. scrofa. Its head is larger and more pointed than that of S. s. scrofa and its ears smaller and more pointed. The plane of the forehead is straight, while it is concave in S. s. scrofa.India, Nepal, Burma, western Thailand, Pakistan and Sri Lankaaffinis (Gray, 1847), aipomus (Gray, 1868), aipomus (Hodgson, 1842), bengalensis (Blyth, 1860), indicus (Gray, 1843), isonotus (Gray, 1868), isonotus (Hodgson, 1842), jubatus (Miller, 1906), typicus (Lydekker, 1900), zeylonensis (Blyth, 1851)Japanese boar S. leucomystaxHonshu boar S. s. leucomystax or S. l. leucomystaxTemminck, 1842A small, almost maneless, yellowish-brown subspeciesAll of Japan, save for Hokkaido and the Ryukyu Islandsjaponica (Nehring, 1885) nipponicus (Heude, 1899)Ryukyu boar S. s. riukiuanus or S. l. riukiuanus Kuroda, 1924A small subspeciesThe Ryukyu IslandsFormosan boar S. s. taivanus or S. taivanusSwinhoe, 1863A small blackish subspeciesTaiwanBanded pig S. s. vittatus or S. vittatusBoie, 1828A small, short-faced and sparsely furred subspecies with a white band on the muzzle; it might be a separate species and shows some similarities with some other suid species in Southeast Asia.From Peninsular Malaysia, and in Indonesia from Sumatra and Java east to Komodoandersoni (Thomas and Wroughton, 1909), jubatulus (Miller, 1906), milleri (Jentink, 1905), pallidiloris (Mees, 1957), peninsularis (Miller, 1906), rhionis (Miller, 1906), typicus (Heude, 1899)
Domestication