At what age is a wild boar considered an adult? Morphobiological characteristics of wild boar. Economic importance of wild boars

Species: Sus scrofa = Boar, wild pig

FIELD SIGNS. DESCRIPTION

The boar is a large animal, somewhat awkward in build, with a massive body and relatively short legs. The muzzle is elongated, cone-shaped, ending in a bare flat cartilaginous “patch” on which the nostrils open. In autumn, winter and spring, the animal's body is covered with bristles, especially hard and long (12 - 13 cm) on the ridge, where it forms a mane. Under the bristles there is a thick and soft underfur. Thanks to the thick underfur, the skin is not wetted, so the boar willingly goes into the water (it swims well) in summer and winter; subcutaneous fat deposition protects it from cooling in the water. In summer, after the spring molt, the boar is almost devoid of hair, covered only with sparse short bristles.

When moving, the boar relies not only on the 3rd and 4th fingers, but also on the 2nd and 5th. On soft ground, all 4 fingers move apart, increasing the supporting area.

The tail is short, 25 cm, not curled. When the animal is calm and rummaging in the soil, the tail, which is constantly in motion, is lowered down; while running, the boar holds its tail horizontally or raises it up.

Body length 125 - 175 cm, height at withers 80 - 100 cm, weight of adults and animals 150 - 270 kg. The cone-shaped, laterally compressed shape of the boar's body with stiff bristles facilitates easy movement in dense thickets. The ears are long and wide. The eyes are small, barely noticeable from the outside, located in deep sockets and protected by a tuft of bristly hair. The color of the boar is black, red-brown, sandy, silver-gray. The piglets are light brown, with bright longitudinal stripes on the back and sides. The skin of the boar is white.

The teeth are well developed, especially the canines. The canines of the upper jaw are relatively short, curved, with their ends directed to the sides and upwards. Triangular shaped fangs lower jaw grow up. They are especially dangerous in three-year-old loppers; at the 4th - 5th year of life they begin to bend back. In cleavers, the fangs reach a length of 10 cm; the fangs of pigs are much smaller. As the animal ages, the fangs wear down and break off.

DETERMINATION OF SEX AND AGE IN NATURAL CONDITIONS

By appearance Three age groups can be distinguished: piglets (yearlings), gilts (two-year-olds) and adults. It is especially easy to distinguish between piglets and adults; it is more difficult to distinguish between gilts, since a large gilt can be confused with a pig.

Piglets are smaller in size, lighter in color than adults (the light color lasts up to a year) and have longer legs. In gilts (in the 2nd year of life), the withers develop and stubble grows along the back. Adult animals are more massive than gilts, and the stubble on the back grows stronger. This difference is especially evident in cleavers.

IN field conditions It is quite possible to distinguish an adult male from a pig, and not only because cleavers have long, curved fangs (the fangs are hard to see at a distance in the twilight), but rather by their silhouette. Males are distinguished by a larger head, a massive front part of the body, they have more developed withers and a more luxuriant “mane” along the crest of the back. They look slimmer than females, perhaps due to the fact that their bodies are flattened laterally, while females have a barrel-shaped body.

In young individuals - piglets and gilts - sexual demorphism is poorly developed.

Piglets usually weigh 25 - 45 kg (the weight of the animal largely depends on feeding conditions and timing of reproduction), gilts - up to 65 - 70 kg (with good feed, sometimes more), adult animals: females from 120 to 180, males - from 140 to 200 kg. The weight of the largest cleavers reaches 260 kg or more.

The most accessible definition of age is based on the development of the dental system and the degree of wear. There are two known works on determining the age of wild boar using this method: for the Western European wild boar (Kozlo, 1975) and for the Ussuri wild boar (Bromley, 1969). Below is a description of the dental system of different wild boars. age groups for the autumn-winter season, i.e. during the hunting period.

Piglets (7 - 11 months) - 36 teeth in total. By this age, usually the 3rd milk incisor is replaced by a permanent one, and the 1st and 2nd incisors are noticeably worn out. The replacement of baby fangs begins. The front roots are still milky, but are beginning to wear out. At the 3rd anterior root tooth, the chewing surface becomes cone-shaped. In the 1st large molar, by 10 - 11 months, the masticatory cusps are smoothed out.

Gilts (18 - 23 months) - 40 teeth in total. By this age, the replacement of milk teeth with permanent ones usually ends. The second molar is fully developed.

Two-year-old individuals have a total of 40 - 42 teeth. The 3rd molar begins to develop. The anterior roots are completely differentiated and have obliterated apices. The canines of males reach a length of up to 40 mm; in females they are noticeably shorter.

Three-year-old individuals - the number of teeth is 44. The incisors are weakly worn, the wear of the anterior molars increases. The 1st and 2nd posterior teeth begin to wear off.

Four-year-old individuals. All teeth show signs of wear, and most importantly, the 3rd posterior tooth begins to smooth out, where dentin lines appear.

Five-year-old individuals. The upper ones of the 1st and 2nd incisors are ground down internal sides. As a result of abrasion, the incisors are shortened. The surfaces of the anterior and posterior molars wear out greatly, with the 1st and 2nd molars wearing away the cusps and folds of enamel, the dentin takes on a star-shaped shape, this is especially typical for the 3rd large molar, although it still has cusps. In cleavers, transverse grooves are visible on the upper fangs, which correspond to the age of the animal (this sign does not appear in all individuals).

Six- and seven-year-old individuals. The incisors are highly sharpened and shortened. The molars are much more worn than in animals of previous ages. In anterior-rooted teeth, dentin appears in dark stripes; in posterior-rooted teeth, the minor folds begin to wear off and individual dentin stars are connected to each other by dark spots. The crown of the 1st large molar begins to wear off.

Eight-year-old individuals and older individuals. Teeth begin to decay and fall out. Especially often the 3rd incisors and 1st and 2nd anterior teeth break off. The fangs gradually become thinner. The crowns of all molars are worn away. In old individuals (10 years and older), the posterior teeth are worn down almost to the gums, and the folds of enamel disappear. .

To the question: Who went wild boar hunting? What do you need to have in your arsenal and what does wild boar taste like? 🙂 given by the author Ђroll Ivanovich the best answer is at least a double-barreled shotgun with bullets or with an insert under 7.62, several people in license plates, a couple of dogs.
Beat better female, the male's meat smells like a boar. Roast on coals in the forest - you'll swallow your fingers.

Answer from IVAN KLEVAKIN[guru]
Look, everything is here. .
Boar hunting
Boar ( wild pig, boar) is a non-ruminant animal. The boar's body length reaches 2 m. Height at withers – 1m. An adult boar weighs about 300 kg. When hunting wild boar, you must remember that this is a serious and dangerous beast. A wounded and persecuted animal is especially dangerous.
Hunting for wild boar from ambush.
This method is used by hunters wherever wild boars can be found. They are most often guarded in feeding areas, sometimes on the paths leading to them, as well as near puddles or standing reservoirs where wild boars take mud baths.
Feeding sites are found in advance. After this, it is necessary to find places where the animals go out to feed. Then the most convenient place to sit is determined.
You need to occupy the hunting site an hour to an hour and a half before sunset. After that, all you have to do is wait and listen to the sounds coming from you.
The fact that wild boars are approaching can be judged by the cracking of branches and the noise they create when moving. Before entering the field, the animals calm down and listen and sniff for a long time, loudly sucking in the air. The hunter must be careful at this time. Suspecting nothing, the wild boars enter the field. The hunter can only choose a target and hit it accurately.
Hunting from the approach.
During feeding, wild boars are not so vigilant and make a lot of noise. Focusing on the sounds of noise, crunching, slurping, the hunter approaches the fattening herd. You only need to approach against the wind. Hunter's clothes and shoes should be comfortable, light and soft, making minimal noise when moving. You can go hunting at dusk.
Roundup hunt, or drive.
The most accessible hunt for hunters in our country, and therefore the most popular hunt. Its essence is that a chain of beaters must drive the animals to the waiting shooters.
If the shooting numbers are located in strong places with poor visibility, the hunt director warns the beaters to make less noise. Then the wild boars will move slower, and the shooters will have a better opportunity to make an accurate shot.
Before the hunt, all participants must be instructed. Strict adherence to rules, instructions and safety measures is mandatory for everyone.
Hunting for wild boar from under dogs from the approach.
This is perhaps one of the most interesting and exciting ways.
Several hunters (2-4 people) go out with dogs to the places where wild boars are supposed to roost. Having reached the place, they release the dogs, and they themselves slowly move through the land and wait for the dogs to raise the animal. When the animal is found and raised by the dogs, the hunters act based on the circumstances. The hunter's task is to get as close to the animal as possible and fire a shot.
And now the cleaver is defeated. Now you can light a fire, boil tea, have a snack and rest before a difficult but nice job- cutting up the carcass and pulling the prey out of the thicket to the road, which, perhaps, is not so close.

The most convenient and easily accessible (can be used directly in the field) diagnostic signs for determining the age of a wild boar are the development of its milk teeth and their replacement with permanent (definitive) teeth, the formation of posterior (molar) teeth and the degree of their wear. This methodological approach has withstood long-term testing numerous types pets and has long served as the simplest and generally correct criterion for determining age. It also turned out to be quite acceptable for determining the age of wild ungulates.

To establish a scale of age-related changes in the boar’s dental system for the purpose of using it in practice, we collected and studied over 650 skulls belonging to individuals of different sexes and ages. Among the collected material there were 25 standard skulls of known age.

When processing the material, all wild boar skulls were divided into sex and age groups. Age was determined by condition age signs skull and teeth, taking into account the date of shooting of a particular individual and the average date of mass birth of piglets. Although pig farrowing can be quite extended, litters that are too early or too late tend to die. Consequently, we can assume that any wild boar population consists of well-separated age groups, the interval between which is equal to one year. Knowing the time of mass birth of piglets and the date of shooting of individual individuals, on a sufficiently large scale and obtained in different time Years of material can determine the sequence of development of primary teeth and their replacement with definitive teeth, the formation of molars and the degree of their wear. This makes it possible to establish a fairly accurate scale of age-related changes in the boar’s dental system, which is subsequently used to determine the age of individual individuals.

In addition to changes in the dental system, we also took into account common features development of the skull, the degree of ossification of some bones, the presence of sutures or boundaries between them, etc.

The age indicator of a wild boar up to three years is based on objective diagnostic signs, expressed in the natural development individual elements dental system, and for animals from four years of age and older, the age criterion was indicators obtained by visual determination the degree of wear of the crowns of predominantly posterior teeth and the pattern of dentin exposure.

It should be emphasized that dividing animals into age groups ranging from 1 year to 6 years with an interval of 1 year does not cause any particular difficulties with sufficient skill. In older groups (over 6 years), establishing age with an interval of 1 year is complicated, and therefore we took wider intervals for groups: 6-7, 8-9, 10-12 years, etc.

Based on the order of appearance, replacement and degree of wear of teeth, as well as some age-related signs in the structure of the skull, we divided the entire period of postnatal ontogenesis of the wild boar into the following ten age groups: I - newborns (1-3 days), II - broods (from 20 days up to 3-4 months), III - underyearlings (9-12 months), IV - two-year-olds (19-22 months), V - three-year-olds (32-36 months), VI - four-year-olds (about 4 years), VII - adults (about 5 years), VIII - 6-7 years, IX - 8-9 years, X - 10-12 years and older.

By appearance, three age groups can be distinguished: piglets (yearlings), gilts (two-year-olds) and adults. It is especially easy to distinguish between piglets and adults; it is more difficult to distinguish between gilts, since a large gilt can be confused with a pig.

Piglets are smaller in size, lighter in color than adults (the light color lasts up to a year) and have longer legs. In gilts (in the 2nd year of life), the withers develop and stubble grows along the back. Adult animals are more massive than gilts, and the stubble on the back grows stronger. This difference is especially evident in cleavers.

In field conditions, it is quite possible to distinguish an adult male from a pig, and not only because loppers have long, curved fangs (the fangs are hard to see at a distance in the twilight), but rather by their silhouette. Males are distinguished by a larger head, a massive front part of the body, they have more developed withers and a more luxuriant “mane” along the crest of the back. They look slimmer than females, perhaps due to the fact that their bodies are flattened laterally, while females have a barrel-shaped body.

In young individuals - piglets and gilts - sexual demorphism is poorly developed.

Piglets usually weigh 25 - 45 kg (the weight of the animal largely depends on feeding conditions and timing of reproduction), gilts - up to 65 - 70 kg (with good feed, sometimes more), adult animals: females from 120 to 180, males - from 140 up to 200 kg. The weight of the largest cleavers reaches 260 kg or more.

The most accessible definition of age is based on the development of the dental system and the degree of wear. There are two known works on determining the age of wild boar using this method: for the Western European wild boar (Kozlo, 1975) and for the Ussuri wild boar (Bromley, 1969). Below is a description of the dental system of wild boars of different age groups for the autumn-winter season, i.e. during the hunting period.

Piglets (7 - 11 months) - 36 teeth in total. By this age, usually the 3rd milk cutter is replaced by a permanent one, and the 1st and 2nd incisors are noticeably erased. The replacement of baby fangs begins. The front roots are still milky, but are beginning to wear out. At the 3rd anterior root tooth, the chewing surface becomes cone-shaped. In the 1st large molar, by 10-11 months, the masticatory cusps are smoothed out.

Gilts (18 - 23 months) - 40 teeth in total. By this age, the replacement of milk teeth with permanent ones usually ends. Second major molar tooth fully developed.

Two-year-old individuals - a total of 40 - 42 teeth. The 3rd molar begins to develop tooth. The anterior roots are completely differentiated and have obliterated apices. The canines of males reach a length of up to 40 mm; in females they are noticeably shorter.

Three-year-old individuals have 44 teeth. The incisors are slightly worn, the wear of the anterior ones increases. The 1st and 2nd posterior teeth begin to wear off.

Four-year-old individuals. All teeth show signs of wear, and most importantly, the 3rd posterior tooth begins to smooth out, where dentin lines appear.

Five-year-old individuals. The upper inner sides of the 1st and 2nd incisors are ground down. As a result of abrasion, the incisors are shortened. The surfaces of the anterior and posterior molars wear out greatly, with the 1st and 2nd molars wearing away the cusps and folds of enamel, the dentin takes on a star-shaped shape, this is especially typical for the 3rd large molar, although it still has cusps. In cleavers, transverse grooves are visible on the upper fangs, which correspond to the age of the animal (this sign does not appear in all individuals).

Six- and seven-year-old individuals. The incisors are highly sharpened and shortened. The molars are much more worn than in animals of previous ages. In anterior-rooted teeth, dentin appears in dark stripes; in posterior-rooted teeth, the minor folds begin to wear off and individual dentin stars are connected to each other by dark spots. The crown of the 1st large molar begins to wear off.

Eight-year-old individuals and older individuals. Teeth begin to decay and fall out. Especially often the 3rd incisors and 1st and 2nd anterior teeth break off. The fangs gradually become thinner. The crowns of all molars are worn away. In old individuals (10 years and older), the posterior teeth are worn down almost to the gums, and the folds of enamel disappear.

The sex ratio of a population is an important factor in determining the size of growth and utilization rates. The sex composition of the wild boar herd undergoes geographic and age variability. At the embryonic stage Central Asia, the Volga delta and the Caucasus, females predominate - 60 - 66% (Sludsky, 1956, Lavrovsky, 1962). On Far East the sex ratio in embryos is 1: 1. In the west of the range in Belovezhskaya Pushcha Among the embryos, females make up 45% (Kozlo, 1969).

Among adult individuals, the sex ratio approaches 1:1 with some predominance (50.9%) of females for populations of Central Asia (Sludsky, 1956) and the Caucasus (52%, Donaurov and Teplov, 1938).

The decrease in the participation of pigs among adults is explained by their increased mortality during unfavorable conditions(floods, harsh winters, predators, etc.), as well as during round-ups with dogs. Among adults, males predominate (64%) in the west of the range (Severtsov and Sablina, 1953), and according to P.G. Kozlo (1969), cleavers make up 55.6%.

In the Pereslavl State Forestry and Hunting Estate, males made up 49% and females 51% of the population.

The age structure of the population also determines the growth of the livestock, so identifying and understanding its changes is necessary for proper wild boar management. In the wild boar population, the following age classes are distinguished: piglets (yearlings), gilts (yearlings and two-year-olds) and adults (three-year-olds and older). Sometimes adults are divided into age classes: 2 - 3 years, 2 years, 5 years, 6 years and older. In a normal population, the proportion of age groups decreases with increasing age.

In the population of Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the age structure looks like this. The largest percentage are piglets, about 50% (with variations over the years from 44% to 64%), gilts in different years make up from 8.9% to 22.6%, adults - from 17.9% to 31.1% of the herd (Severtsov, Sablina, 1953; Kozlo, 1969).

In the lower reaches of the river. Or, according to long-term data, age The composition is as follows: piglets - 49.8%, livestock, gilts - 13.5% and adults - 36.7%.

In the Pereslavl State Forestry and Hunting Estate, the age structure of the herd in 1965 - 1967 was characterized by the following percentage ratio: piglets 39.9 - 55.0%, gilts - 20 - 31.1%, adults 22.2 - 39.0% (Ivanova, Rykovsky, 1967).

Sex composition and age structure are very dynamic categories that vary greatly from year to year depending on yearly conditions, population density and the size of the fishery.

Change age The structure of wild boars occurs as a result of the spontaneous. disasters: lack of food, floods, epizootics, etc. During such disasters, 2/3 of the livestock dies, and the recovering part of the population undergoes “rejuvenation.”

This picture was repeatedly observed in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (Kartsev, 1910, Kozlo, 1969). A similar phenomenon was noted by A. A. Sludsky (1956), when, following mass death wild boars during floods in 1946 and 1947. Subsequently, the herd rejuvenated and the percentage of young individuals in the population was 63.3%.

In the areas where wild boars were released, in particular in the Pereslavl State Forestry and Hunting Estate, we observed that in the period after the release of large batches of wild boars, a shift age structure occurred in the direction of increasing young individuals. In 1967 - 1969 the share of adults decreased to 17%, and gilts and piglets increased to 83%. The reason for this, firstly, is the outbreak of reproduction in imported individuals and the good survival rate of young animals, thanks to feeding and protection and, secondly, great participation in batches of imported animals, piglets (up to 82%).

Intensive wild boar hunting in certain areas leads to a rejuvenation of the herd; large adult loppers are becoming rare.

A. A. Sludsky (1956) notes that following the season when intensive hunting with dogs was carried out, the number of cleavers in the livestock increases, since with this method of hunting, pigs with piglets and gilts are primarily hunted. According to the same author, in 1949, in a herd of wild boars on the lower reaches of the river. Or observed 30% of cutters, 11% of pigs, 4.2% of gilts and 54.2% of piglets. The influence of this method of hunting is obvious.