ORIGINAL: falcon
When a hog becomesferal at an early age a transformation takes place astime goes by. The tail becomes straight, the hips becomenarrow and thetusks may grow out, especially on the males. A couple years ago i killed a huge sow.... That sow had tusks over 2" long, narrow hips and a straight tail. It was evident that she had been feral forsome time.Sheweighed 352 pounds field dressed despite the fact that she was not very fat.
You've raise a good point here. How do you tell if a hog is truly feral or just a domestic on the loose for awhile?
I've read that domestic hogs will quickly revert to their wild nature, given time, and that it only takes 2 to 3 generations before theyhave completely returned to the wild. With hogs, 2 to 3 generations may not be more than 2 years considering they will produce young as early as 6 months of age. So you could have a sow running loose for 6 mnths which births a litter. In 6 mnths the litter is producing a litter and those piglets would be completely feral and exhibiting all the physical and behavioral traits of its wild ancestors.
All the characteristics you've mentioned are very good signs a hog is feral. They physically take on a different appearance. A recent study addressed the physical features of feral vs.released domestic. According to that information, the head shape is a very good indicator of wildness.The studysaid that a domestic hog, either confined or released, will have the deep swoop between the forehead and snout while a truly feral hog will exhibit close to a straight line from its forehead to its snout. Imagine a wolf's face on a pig and you'll get an image of what a Eurasian or feral hog's head should be shaped like.
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