Boar vs Pig
Mixing up of the real meaning of pig and boar is one of the very common mistakes even among biologists, as well. Therefore, a proper understanding would be appropriate for many who might not be comfortable fully with the real difference between pig and boar. This article explores through the characteristics of each and performs a comparison between the two types of animals. Therefore, this would be a highly informative article for anyone. However, they both are much related forms of mammals, belonging in the same taxonomic family, Suidae. In addition, both pig and boar share the same genus.
All the members of the genus, Sus, belong to the group of pigs. There are ten extant species of pig in the world today, and they all are distributed naturally in Asia, Europe, and some Northern Africa. Pigs include wild boars, bearded pigs, and warty pigs. However, the Pygmy hog are not considered true pigs, as they are not included in the same genus as the other pigs and boars. In Americas and Australia, pig is an introduced animal. However, these animals are referred as pigs especially when they are domesticated. The ancestors of the domesticated pigs are the wild boars. There are four hooves in each foot, and the front two digits are considerably larger compared to the rear pair of digits. These even toed ungulates are omnivorous animals and have social groups, mainly family units. Additionally, they are considered as very intelligent among many animals. Their head is large, and the snout is short but strengthened by the pre-nasal bone. In addition, their uniquely shaped snout has a cartilaginous disk at the tip. Together with all those features, their snout becomes very useful for them, and they can use it to unearth their food, sense the smell of food, and sometimes even to attack their threats. They have 44 teeth with two large canines forming tusks, which are greatly useful for them to dig the ground. Usually, the domesticated pigs have a high value as meat, including in preparations of pork, ham, bacon, and gammon. The domesticated pigs are usually massive in size and mainly pink in colour, but some are brown or black or with white mixed colourations. The fur coat is less in the domesticated pigs. However, some pigs are kept as pets, especially the pot-bellied pigs.
Boar is a type of pigs, and usually it is the wild boar, Sus scrofa. Their natural distribution is predominant in Asia, but with introductions to other parts of the world, wild boar is a very common animal in almost everywhere. They have a large head and relatively short limbs compared to their body size. Their body varies from 120 to 180 centimetres in length, and the height is only 10 centimetres less than a metre. The body weight could vary from 50 to 90 kilograms. The fur of wild boar consists of stiff bristles and fine hairs, and the colouration is dark grey, brown, or black. The adult males are solitary, but the females live with the family units containing over 15 individuals in each usually. They are nocturnal and serious pests of agricultural crops, especially in South Asia.
What is the difference between Pig and Boar?
• Pig includes ten species but boar is only one with many subspecies.
• Pigs could be either wild or domesticated, whereas boar is mostly wild.
• Wild boar is dark in colourations, whereas the domesticated pig comes in many different colours according to the breed
• The domestic pig is larger compared to the wild boar. Additionally, wild boar has a large head and a small body, but the domestic pig has a big head as well as massive body.
• Domestic pigs are docked, and the canines are removed to prevent the aggressiveness, but no such thing could be done on wild boars.
• Wild boar has a thicker cover of fur compared to the domesticated pigs.