It is the most basal of the four groups, having the smallest relative brain size, more primitive dentition and unspecialised cranial structure. 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. moupinensis, and the mane is largely absent. These subspecies are characterised by a whitish streak extending from the corners of the mouth to the lower jaw. These subspecies have sparse or absent underwool, with long manes and prominent bands on the snout and mouth. 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. Subspecies Īs of 2005, 16 subspecies are recognised, which are divided into four regional groupings: Its closest wild relative is the bearded pig of Malacca and surrounding islands. verrucosus throughout the Eurasian mainland, restricting it to insular Asia. strozzii, a large, possibly swamp-adapted suid ancestral to the modern S. The earliest fossil finds of the species come from both Europe and Asia, and date back to the Early Pleistocene. 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. Skull of Sus strozzii ( Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze), a Pleistocene suid that was outcompeted by S. In hunting terminology, boars are given different designations according to their age: Designation The animals' specific name scrofa is Latin for 'sow'. The young may be called 'piglets' or boarlets. '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 Greek hus, and more closely to the New High German Sau. 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. The English 'boar' stems from the Old English bar, which is thought to be derived from the West Germanic *bairaz, of unknown origin.
Wild boars probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene and outcompeted other suid species as they spread throughout the Old World. It has become an invasive species in part of its introduced range. 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. The species is now one of the widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform. 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.