The wild boar is an omnivorous artiodactyl non-ruminant mammal of the genus Sus. Differs from the domestic pig, which is undoubtedly descended from the wild boar (and other related species), has a shorter and denser body, thicker and higher legs; in addition, the head of the boar is longer and thinner, the ears are longer, sharper and, moreover, erect, sharp. The constantly growing upper and lower fangs sticking upwards from the mouth are much more developed in the male than in the female.
Body length up to 175 cm, height at the withers up to 1 m. The weight of an adult boar usually does not exceed 100 kg, although it can reach 150-200 kg. Occasionally, individuals weighing up to 275 kg come across in Eastern Europe, and up to half a ton in Primorye and Manchuria. Sexual dimorphism is clearly manifested - females are smaller: height at the withers up to 90 cm, weight in the range of 60-180 kg. The lifespan of an animal can reach 14 years in nature and 20 years in captivity and protected areas. The boar is capable of speeds up to 40 km/h. Boars are good swimmers; in 2013, one boar swam from France to the island of Alderney far to the north.
There are 36-38 chromosomes in the karyotype. The study of mitochondrial DNA showed that wild boars originated somewhere on the islands of Southeast Asia, for example, on the territory of modern Indonesia or the Philippines, from where they then spread across mainland Eurasia and North Africa. The oldest fossils of this species date back to the early Pleistocene, gradually replacing the closely related species Sus strozzi, a large animal adapted to life in the swamp, from which the Javan pig apparently descends. The closest relative is the bearded pig, found on the Malay Peninsula and a number of Indonesian islands.
