Editing Wild boar (section)

== Description ==
[[File:WildBoarSkull.JPG|thumb|The skull of a wild boar]]
[[File:Animaldentition susscrofa.png|thumb|Dentition, as illustrated by Charles Knight]]
The wild boar is a bulky, massively built suid with short and relatively thin legs. The trunk is short and robust, while the hindquarters are comparatively underdeveloped. The region behind the shoulder blades rises into a hump and the neck is short and thick to the point of being nearly immobile. The animal's head is very large, taking up to one-third of the body's entire length.<ref name=heptner1988 /> The structure of the head is well suited for digging. The head acts as a plough, while the powerful neck muscles allow the animal to upturn considerable amounts of soil:<ref name="marsan70">{{Harvnb|Marsan|Mattioli|2013|pp=70–72}}</ref> it is capable of digging {{convert|8|-|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} into frozen ground and can upturn rocks weighing {{convert|40|-|50|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=baskin2003 /> The eyes are small and deep-set and the ears long and broad. The species has well developed [[canine teeth]], which protrude from the mouths of adult males. The medial hooves are larger and more elongated than the lateral ones and are capable of quick movements.<ref name=heptner1988 /> The animal can run at a maximum speed of 40&nbsp;km/h (25&nbsp;mph) and jump at a height of {{convert|140|-|150|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=baskin2003 />

[[Sexual dimorphism]] is very pronounced in the species, with males being typically 5–10% larger and 20–30% heavier than females. Males also sport a mane running down the back, which is particularly apparent during autumn and winter.<ref name="marsan26">{{Harvnb|Marsan|Mattioli|2013|pp=26}}</ref> The canine teeth are also much more prominent in males and grow throughout life. The upper canines are relatively short and grow sideways early in life, though they gradually curve upwards. The lower canines are much sharper and longer, with the exposed parts measuring {{convert|10|-|12|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length. In the breeding period, males develop a coating of [[subcutaneous tissue]], which may be {{convert|2|-|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} thick, extending from the shoulder blades to the rump, thus protecting vital organs during fights. Males sport a roughly chicken egg–sized sac of unclear function near the opening of the penis that collects urine and emits a sharp odour.<ref name=heptner1988 />
[[File:PigSkelLyd2.png|thumb|Skeleton, as illustrated by [[Richard Lydekker]].]]
[[File:Hoffmann, Hans - A Wild Boar Piglet - 1578.jpg|thumb|A European wild boar piglet, painted by [[Hans Hoffmann (painter)|Hans Hoffman]] in 1578. Note the stripes, a characteristic feature of piglets.]]
Adult size and weight is largely determined by environmental factors; boars living in arid areas with little productivity tend to attain smaller sizes than their counterparts inhabiting areas with abundant food and water. In most of [[Europe]], males average {{convert|75|-|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight, {{convert|75|-|80|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height and {{convert|150|cm|in|abbr=on}} in body length, whereas females average {{convert|60|-|80|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight, {{convert|70|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height and {{convert|140|cm|in|abbr=on}} in body length. In Europe's [[Southern Europe|Mediterranean regions]], males may reach average weights as low as {{convert|50|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|45|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with shoulder heights of {{convert|63|-|65|cm|in|abbr=on}}. In the more productive areas of [[Eastern Europe]], males average {{convert|110|-|130|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight, {{convert|95|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height and {{convert|160|cm|in|abbr=on}} in body length, while females weigh {{convert|95|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, reach {{convert|85|-|90|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height, and reach {{convert|145|cm|in|abbr=on}} in body length. In [[Western Europe|Western]] and [[Central Europe]], the largest males weigh {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and females {{convert|120|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. In Northeastern Asia, large males can reach [[brown bear]]-like sizes, weighing {{convert|270|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and measuring {{convert|110|-|118|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height. Some adult males in [[Primorsky Krai]] and [[Manchuria]] have been recorded to weigh {{convert|300|-|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and measure {{convert|125|cm|in|abbr=on}} in shoulder height. Adults of this size are generally immune from wolf predation.<ref name="marsan28">{{Harvnb|Marsan|Mattioli|2013|pp=28}}</ref> Such giants are rare in modern times, as past overhunting has prevented animals from attaining their full growth.<ref name=heptner1988 />

The winter coat consists of long, coarse bristles underlaid with short brown downy fur. The length of these bristles varies along the body, with the shortest being around the face and limbs and the longest running along the back. These back bristles form the aforementioned mane prominent in males and stand erect when the animal is agitated. Colour is highly variable; specimens around [[Lake Balkhash]] are very lightly coloured, and can even be white, while some boars from [[Belarus]] and Ussuriland can be black. Some subspecies sport a light-coloured patch running backward from the corners of the mouth. Coat colour also varies with age, with piglets having light brown or rusty-brown fur with pale bands extending from the flanks and back.<ref name=heptner1988 />

The wild boar produces a number of different sounds which are divided into three categories:
* '''Contact calls''': Grunting noises which differ in intensity according to the situation.<ref name="cabanau29">{{Harvnb|Cabanau|2001|pp=29}}</ref> Adult males are usually silent, while females frequently grunt and piglets whine.<ref name=heptner1988 /> When feeding, boars express their contentment through purring. Studies have shown that piglets imitate the sounds of their mother, thus different litters may have unique vocalisations.<ref name="cabanau29" />
* '''Alarm calls''': Warning cries emitted in response to threats.<ref name="cabanau29" /> When frightened, boars make loud huffing {{not a typo|''ukh! ukh!''}} sounds or emit screeches transcribed as {{not a typo|''gu-gu-gu''}}.<ref name=heptner1988 />
* '''Combat calls''': High-pitched, piercing cries.<ref name="cabanau29" />

Its sense of [[Olfaction|smell]] is very well developed to the point that the animal is used for drug detection in Germany.<ref name="cabanau28">{{Harvnb|Cabanau|2001|pp=28}}</ref> Its [[hearing]] is also acute, though its [[eyesight]] is comparatively weak,<ref name=heptner1988 /> lacking [[color vision]]<ref name="cabanau28" /> and being unable to recognise a standing human {{convert|10|-|15|m|ft}} away.<ref name=baskin2003 />
{{Clear}}

Pigs are one of four known mammalian taxa which possess mutations in the [[nicotinic acetylcholine receptor]] that protect against snake venom. [[Mongoose]]s, [[honey badger]]s, [[hedgehog]]s, and pigs all have modifications to the receptor pocket which prevents the [[snake venom]] [[Snake venom#Neurotoxins|α-neurotoxin]] from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Drabeck|first1=D.H.|last2=Dean|first2=A.M.|last3=Jansa|first3=S.A.|title=Why the honey badger don't care: Convergent evolution of venom-targeted nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in mammals that survive venomous snake bites.|journal=Toxicon|date=1 June 2015|volume=99|pages=68–72|doi=10.1016/j.toxicon.2015.03.007|pmid=25796346|bibcode=2015Txcn...99...68D }}</ref>