Dinara is a 100-kilometre-long (60-mile) mountain range in the Dinaric Alps , located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia . It has four major mountains or peaks, from north-west to south-east:
90-512: Note the dual use of the name Dinara , which is also the origin of the name for the whole Dinaric Alps . The range is composed of limestone and dolomite . The origin of the name is uncertain. It may derive from a forgotten Illyrian tribe name, or it is named after a settlement in or near the region. According to Šišić, the Dinara name resembles the name of the Dindari , an Illyrian tribe that inhabited
180-513: A mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea . They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia , Croatia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serbia , Montenegro , and Kosovo to Albania in the southeast. The Dinaric Alps extend for approximately 645 kilometres (401 mi) along the western Balkan Peninsula from
270-785: A case of intraguild predation , brought on by interspecific competition for human handouts. There is also at least one recorded case of a group of wild boar attacking, killing, and eating an adult, healthy female axis deer ( Axis axis ) as a pack. Stable isotope analysis of fossil wild boar tooth enamel from the late Middle Pleistocene found in Thailand indicate that it fed on a versatile mixed vegetation. Piglets are vulnerable to attack from medium-sized felids like Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ), jungle cats ( Felis chaus ), and snow leopards ( Panthera uncia ), as well as other carnivorans like brown bears ( Ursus arctos ) and yellow-throated martens ( Martes flavigula ). The wolf ( Canis lupus )
360-481: 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. The wild boar produces a number of different sounds which are divided into three categories: Its sense of smell is very well developed to the point that the animal is used for drug detection in Germany. Its hearing
450-403: A mane running down the back, which is particularly apparent during autumn and winter. 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 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in) in length. In
540-602: A mix of both wild boar and domestic pigs. They are now known to be present in Dumfries and Galloway and a number of sites in the Highlands , mainly centred around the Loch Ness area. They can be killed there legally without a license and are culled by land managers as wild populations appear occasionally. As of 2024 , an agency that advises the Scottish government estimates that Scotland
630-592: A skull from a recently killed individual in the Annamite Range , Laos, in 1995. Subsequent studies indicated that Sus bucculentus was not a valid taxon. As of 2022 the Mammal Diversity Database included it in Sus scrofa . 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
720-513: A small tiger and a tigress to death in self-defense. A "large male tiger" died of wounds inflicted by an old wild boar it had killed in "a battle royal" between the two animals. In the Amur region , wild boars are one of the two most important prey species for Siberian tigers , alongside the Manchurian wapiti ( Cervus canadensis xanthopygus ), with the two species collectively comprising roughly 80% of
810-546: A third domestication event with the Near Eastern genes dying out in European pig stock. Modern domesticated pigs have involved complex exchanges, with European domesticated lines being exported in turn to the ancient Near East. Historical records indicate that Asian pigs were introduced into Europe during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Domestic pigs tend to have much more developed hindquarters than their wild boar ancestors, to
900-530: A year later. However, estrus usually first occurs after two years in sows, while males begin participating in the rut after 4–5 years, as they are not permitted to mate by the older males. The maximum lifespan in the wild is 10–14 years, though few specimens survive past 4–5 years. Boars in captivity have lived for 20 years. The wild boar inhabits a diverse array of habitats from boreal taigas to deserts . In mountainous regions, it can even occupy alpine zones, occurring up to 1,900 m (6,200 ft) in
990-596: Is Latin for 'sow'. In hunting terminology, boars are given different designations according to their age: MtDNA studies indicate that the wild boar originated from islands in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia and the Philippines , and subsequently spread onto mainland Eurasia and North Africa. The earliest fossil finds of the species come from both Europe and Asia, and date back to the Early Pleistocene . By
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#17328455251711080-552: Is a highly versatile omnivore , whose diversity in choice of food is comparable to that of humans . Their foods can be divided into four categories: A 50 kg (110 lb) boar needs around 4,000–4,500 calories of food per day, though this required amount increases during winter and pregnancy, with the majority of its diet consisting of food items dug from the ground, like underground plant material and burrowing animals. Acorns and beechnuts are invariably its most important food items in temperate zones , as they are rich in
1170-424: Is also acute, though its eyesight is comparatively weak, lacking color vision and being unable to recognise a standing human 10–15 metres (33–49 ft) away. Pigs are one of four known mammalian taxa which possess mutations in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor that protect against snake venom. Mongooses , honey badgers , hedgehogs , and pigs all have modifications to the receptor pocket which prevents
1260-609: Is built mostly of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite deposited on top of a huge Bahama-type carbonate platform, while a few kilometers thick carbonate successions have been deformed during the Alpine orogenesis. The main tectonic phase of the Alpine orogenesis in the Dinaric Karst region took place in the Cenozoic Era ( Paleogene ) as a result of the Adriatic microplate (Adria) collision with
1350-508: Is communication possible across the Karst, and roads and railways tunnel through precipitous cliffs and traverse narrow ledges above roaring torrents. A number of springs and rivers rise in the Dinaric range, including Jadro Spring noted for having been the source of water for Diocletian's Palace at Split. At the same time, the purity of these rocks is such that the rivers are crystal clear, and there
1440-548: Is home to a few thousand wild boars. Locals around Loch Ness that were interviewed by The New York Times believed that the boars were becoming an increasingly worse problem, and farmers noted that they had killed and eaten several lambs. Wild boars are an invasive species in the Americas, having been introduced by European explorers and settlers in the 16th century to serve as a source of food. Wild boars now cause problems including out-competing native species for food, destroying
1530-481: Is illegal to import, breed, release, possess, sell, distribute, trade, transport, hunt, or trap Eurasian boars. Hunting and trapping is done systematically, to increase the chance of eradication and to remove the incentive to illegally release boars, which have mostly been spread deliberately by sport hunters. While domestic pigs, both captive and feral (popularly termed "razorbacks"), have been in North America since
1620-701: Is largely due in part to the local leopard subspecies' large size. Boars of all ages were once the primary prey of the tiger ( Panthera tigris ) in Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia and the Far East up until the late 19th century. In modern times, tiger numbers are too low to have a limiting effect on boar populations. A single tiger can systematically destroy an entire sounder by preying on its members one by one, before moving on to another sounder. Tigers have been noted to chase boars for longer distances than with other prey. In two rare cases, boars were reported to gore
1710-472: Is little soil-making residue. Water quality testing of the Jadro River , for example, indicates the low pollutant levels present. Rock faces are often bare of vegetation and glaring white, but what little soil there is may collect in the hollows and support lush lime-tolerant vegetation, or yield narrow strips of cultivation. Ruins of fortresses dot the mountainous landscape, evidence of centuries of war and
1800-426: Is sighting of Eurasian griffon vulture Gyps fulvus probably on their flight over to Cres . The mammals of the Dinara region are: brown bear Ursus arctos , grey wolf Canis lupus , Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx , wildcat Felis silvestris , red fox Vulpes vulpes , wild boar Sus scrofa , Eurasian badger Meles meles , brown hare Lepus europaeus and balkan snow vole. Dinara is host to an endemic species of rodent ,
1890-403: Is the main predator of wild boar throughout most of its range. A single wolf can kill around 50 to 80 boars of differing ages in one year. In Italy and Belarus' Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park , boars are the wolf's primary prey, despite an abundance of alternative, less powerful ungulates. Wolves are particularly threatening during the winter, when deep snow impedes the boars' movements. In
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#17328455251711980-579: Is the most important corrosive force , dissolving the limestone by chemical action of its natural acidity. As it percolates down through cracks in the limestone it opens up fissures and channels, often of considerable depth, so that whole systems of underground drainage develop. During subsequent millennia these work deeper, leaving in their wake enormous waterless caverns , sinkholes and grottoes and forming underground labyrinths of channels and shafts. The roofs of some of these caverns may eventually fall in, to produce great perpendicular-sided gorges, exposing
2070-777: The Americas and Australia . As true wild boars became extinct in Great Britain before the development of Modern English , the same terms are often used for both true wild boar and pigs, especially large or semi-wild ones. The English boar stems from the Old English bār , which is thought to be derived from the West Germanic bair , of unknown origin. Boar is sometimes used specifically to refer to males, and may also be used to refer to male domesticated pigs, especially breeding males that have not been castrated. Sow ,
2160-664: The Balkan snow vole ( Dolomys bogdanovi longipedis ), known in Croatian as the Dinarski miš ("Dinara mouse"). It is an endangered species . The relatively well-preserved, extensive and diverse habitats of the Dinara and Svilaja mountains and the Upper Cetina provide a refuge to a number of invertebrate species whose natural habitats have been endangered due to specific living conditions they require, while many of them are endemics and placed on
2250-738: The British Isles to Korea and the Sunda Islands . The northern limit of its range extended from southern Scandinavia to southern Siberia and Japan . Within this range, it was only absent in extremely dry deserts and alpine zones. It was once found in North Africa along the Nile valley up to Khartoum and north of the Sahara . The species occurs on a few Ionian and Aegean Islands , sometimes swimming between islands. The reconstructed northern boundary of
2340-696: The Carpathians , 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in the Caucasus and up to 3,600–4,000 m (11,800–13,100 ft) in the mountains in Central Asia and Kazakhstan . In order to survive in a given area, wild boars require a habitat fulfilling three conditions: heavily brushed areas providing shelter from predators, water for drinking and bathing purposes and an absence of regular snowfall. The main habitats favored by boars in Europe are deciduous and mixed forests , with
2430-523: The Far East and the Lesser Sunda Islands , where it is replaced by the tiger and Komodo dragon respectively. The wild boar has a long history of association with humans , having been the ancestor of most domestic pig breeds and a big-game animal for millennia. Boars have also re- hybridized in recent decades with feral pigs ; these boar–pig hybrids have become a serious pest wild animal in
2520-628: The Giza Zoo , with wild populations having disappeared by 1894–1902. Prince Kamal el Dine Hussein attempted to repopulate Wadi El Natrun with boars of Hungarian stock, but they were quickly exterminated by poachers. A revival of boar populations began in the middle of the 20th century. By 1950, wild boar had once again reached their original northern boundary in many parts of their Asiatic range. By 1960, they reached Leningrad and Moscow and by 1975, they were to be found in Archangelsk and Astrakhan . In
2610-739: The Himalayas . It is absent in the higher elevations of the Pamir and the Tian Shan , though they do occur in the Tarim Basin and on the lower slopes of the Tien Shan. In recent centuries, the range of wild boar has changed dramatically, largely due to hunting by humans and more recently because of captive wild boar escaping into the wild. Prior to the 20th century, boar populations had declined in numerous areas, with British populations probably becoming extinct during
2700-529: The Julian Alps of the northeast Italy, downwards to the Šar and Korab massif , where their direction changes. The Accursed Mountains are the highest section of the entire Dinaric Alps; this section stretches from Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro . Maja Jezercë , standing at 2,694 metres (8,839 ft) above the Adriatic , is the highest peak and is located in Albania. The Dinaric Alps are one of
2790-491: The Old World . As of 2005 , up to 16 subspecies are recognized, which are divided into four regional groupings based on skull height and lacrimal bone length. The species lives in matriarchal societies consisting of interrelated females and their young (both male and female). Fully grown males are usually solitary outside the breeding season . The wolf is the wild boar's main predator in most of its natural range except in
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2880-534: The Ottoman Empire failed to fully subjugate the mountainous areas of Montenegro . In the 20th century, too, the mountains provided favourable terrain for guerrilla warfare , with Yugoslav Partisans organising one of the most successful Allied resistance movements of World War II . The area remains underpopulated, and forestry and mining remain the chief economic activities in the Dinaric Alps. The people of
2970-470: The Volga Delta and near some lakes and rivers of Kazakhstan have been recorded to feed extensively on fish like carp and Caspian roach . Boars in the former area will also feed on cormorant and heron chicks, bivalved molluscs , trapped muskrats and mice. There is at least one record of a boar killing and eating a bonnet macaque in southern India's Bandipur National Park , though this may have been
3060-635: The carbohydrates necessary for the buildup of fat reserves needed to survive lean periods. In Western Europe, underground plant material favoured by boars includes bracken , willow herb , bulbs, meadow herb roots and bulbs and the bulbs of cultivated crops. Such food is favoured in early spring and summer, but may also be eaten in autumn and winter during beechnut and acorn crop failures. Should regular wild foods become scarce, boars will eat tree bark and fungi , as well as visit cultivated potato and artichoke fields. Boar soil disturbance and foraging have been shown to facilitate invasive plants. Boars of
3150-499: The snake venom α-neurotoxin from binding. These represent four separate, independent mutations. Boars are typically social animals, living in female-dominated sounders consisting of barren sows and mothers with young led by an old matriarch. Male boars leave their sounder at the age of 8–15 months, while females either remain with their mothers or establish new territories nearby. Subadult males may live in loosely knit groups, while adult and elderly males tend to be solitary outside
3240-668: The vittatus subspecies in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java differ from most other populations by their primarily frugivorous diet, which consists of 50 different fruit species, especially figs , thus making them important seed dispersers. The wild boar can consume numerous genera of poisonous plants without ill effect, including Aconitum , Anemone , Calla , Caltha , Ferula and Pteridium . Boars may occasionally prey on small vertebrates like newborn deer fawns, leporids and galliform chicks. Boars inhabiting
3330-556: The 13th century. In the warm period after the ice age, wild boar lived in the southern parts of Sweden and Norway and north of Lake Ladoga in Karelia . It was previously thought that the species did not live in Finland during prehistory because no prehistoric wild boar bones had been found within the borders of the country. It was not until 2013, when a wild boar bone was found in Askola , that
3420-574: The 1970s they again occurred in Denmark and Sweden, where captive animals escaped and now survive in the wild. In England, wild boar populations re-established themselves in the 1990s, after escaping from specialist farms that had imported European stock. By the 11th century, wild boars were apparently already becoming rare in Britain. A 1087 forestry law enacted by William the Conqueror punished through blinding
3510-598: The 1970s, but since the early 1990s significant populations have re-established themselves after escapes from farms, the number of which has increased as the demand for meat from the species has grown. A 1998 MAFF (now DEFRA ) study on wild boar living wild in Britain confirmed the presence of two populations of wild boar living in Britain; one in Kent / East Sussex and another in Dorset . Another DEFRA report, in February 2008, confirmed
3600-530: The Balkans. No permanent ice caps existed, and there is little evidence of extensive glaciation . Only the highest summits of Durmitor , Orjen and Prenj have glacial valleys and moraines as low as 600 m (1,969 ft). However, in the Accursed Mountains ( Serbo-Croatian : Prokletije ), a range on the northern Albanian border that runs east to west (thus breaking the general geographic trend of
3690-508: The Baltic regions, heavy snowfall can allow wolves to eliminate boars from an area almost completely. Wolves primarily target piglets and subadults and only rarely attack adult sows. Adult males are usually avoided entirely. Dholes ( Cuon alpinus ) may also prey on boars, to the point of keeping their numbers down in northwestern Bhutan, despite there being many more cattle in the area. Leopards ( Panthera pardus ) are predators of wild boar in
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3780-620: The Caucasus (particularly Transcaucasia), the Russian Far East, India, China and Iran. In most areas, boars constitute only a small part of the leopard's diet. However, in Iran's Sarigol National Park, boars are the second most frequently targeted prey species after mouflon ( Ovis gmelini ), though adult individuals are generally avoided, as they are above the leopard's preferred weight range of 10–40 kg (22–88 lb). This dependence on wild boar
3870-471: The Dinara region comprises around 15 species of lizards, snakes and amphibians, some of which are endangered, mostly due to the fact that their natural habitats have been either reduced in extent or suffered degradation. The herpetofauna comprises: smooth snake, balkan whip snake, nose-horned viper, fire salamander, slow worm, karst meadow viper and alpine newt. Dinaric Alps The Dinaric Alps ( / d ɪ ˈ n ær ɪ k / ), also Dinarides , are
3960-464: The Dinaric Alps are on record as being the tallest in the world, with an average male adolescent height of 185.6 cm (6 ft 1.1 in). The people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have the highest recorded average of any single country, with 183.9 cm average for men and 171.8 cm for women. The main mountain passes of the Dinaric Alps are: Major tunnels transversing the Dinaric Alps include: The famous Belgrade–Bar railway crosses
4050-467: The Dinaric system), there is evidence of major glaciation. One geological feature of great importance to the present-day landscape of the Dinarides must be considered in more detail: that of the limestone mountains, often with their attendant faulting. They are hard and slow to erode, and often persist as steep jagged escarpments, through which steep-sided gorges and canyons are cleft by the rivers draining
4140-504: The Red List (certain species of caddisflies, dragonflies, stoneflies, orthoptera, etc.). Invertebrates living in caves and holes make a special group – their biology remains relatively unknown, but they are protected as the cave fauna together with cave vertebrates. Insects include: dalmatian ringlet Proterebia afra dalmata , rosalia longicorn, longhorn beetle, firebug, hornet, bumblebee, stag beetle and marsh fritillary. The herpetofauna of
4230-656: The Serbo-Macedonian and Rhodope Massifs, and the process is still active. The Mesozoic limestone forms a very distinctive region of the Balkans , notable for features such as the Karst Plateau , which has given its name to all such terrains of limestone eroded by groundwater. The Dinarides are known for being composed of karst – limestone rocks – as is Dinara , the mountain for which they were named. The Quaternary ice ages had relatively little direct geologic influence on
4320-555: The U.K.'s woodlands were discussed with Ralph Harmer of the Forestry Commission on the BBC Radio 's Farming Today radio programme in 2011. The programme prompted activist writer George Monbiot to propose a thorough population study, followed by the introduction of permit-controlled culling . In Scotland, wild boar are professionally referred to as 'feral pigs' as the genetics of the established feral populations may come from
4410-422: The age of the expecting mother. For first-time breeders, it lasts 114–130 days, while it lasts 133–140 days in older sows. Farrowing occurs between March and May, with litter sizes depending on the age and nutrition of the mother. The average litter consists of 4–6 piglets, with the maximum being 10–12. The piglets are whelped in a nest constructed from twigs, grasses and leaves. Should the mother die prematurely,
4500-603: The animal's Asian range ran from Lake Ladoga (at 60°N) through the area of Novgorod and Moscow into the southern Urals , where it reached 52°N. From there, the boundary passed Ishim and farther east the Irtysh at 56°N. In the eastern Baraba steppe (near Novosibirsk ) the boundary turned steep south, encircled the Altai Mountains and went again eastward including the Tannu-Ola Mountains and Lake Baikal . From here,
4590-405: 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
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#17328455251714680-650: The boundary went slightly north of the Amur River eastward to its lower reaches at the Sea of Okhotsk . On Sakhalin , there are only fossil reports of wild boar. The southern boundaries in Europe and Asia were almost invariably identical to the seashores of these continents. It is absent in the dry regions of Mongolia from 44 to 46°N southward, in China westward of Sichuan and in India north of
4770-1106: The breeding period, males develop a coating of subcutaneous tissue , which may be 2–3 cm (0.79–1.18 in) 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. 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 75–100 kg (165–220 lb) in weight, 75–80 cm (30–31 in) in shoulder height and 150 cm (59 in) in body length, whereas females average 60–80 kg (130–180 lb) in weight, 70 cm (28 in) in shoulder height and 140 cm (55 in) in body length. In Europe's Mediterranean regions , males may reach average weights as low as 50 kg (110 lb) and females 45 kg (99 lb), with shoulder heights of 63–65 cm (25–26 in). In
4860-426: The breeding season. The breeding period in most areas lasts from November to January, though most mating only lasts a month and a half. Prior to mating, the males develop their subcutaneous armour in preparation for confronting rivals. The testicles double in size and the glands secrete a foamy yellowish liquid. Once ready to reproduce, males travel long distances in search of a sounder of sows, eating little on
4950-498: 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. The animal can run at a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) and jump at a height of 140–150 cm (55–59 in). Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced in the species, with males being typically 5–10% larger and 20–30% heavier than females. Males also sport
5040-749: The exception of domestic pigs in Timor and Papua New Guinea (which appear to be of Sulawesi warty pig stock), the wild boar is the ancestor of most pig breeds . Archaeological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated from wild boar as early as 13,000–12,700 BCE in the Near East in the Tigris Basin, being managed in the wild in a way similar to the way they are managed by some modern New Guineans. Remains of pigs have been dated to earlier than 11,400 BCE in Cyprus . Those animals must have been introduced from
5130-605: The existence of these two sites as 'established breeding areas' and identified a third in Gloucestershire / Herefordshire ; in the Forest of Dean / Ross on Wye area. A 'new breeding population' was also identified in Devon . There is another significant population in Dumfries and Galloway . Populations estimates were as follows: Population estimates for the Forest of Dean are disputed as, at
5220-506: The felid's prey. In Sikhote Alin , a tiger can kill 30–34 boars a year. Studies of tigers in India indicate that boars are usually secondary in preference to various cervids and bovids , though when boars are targeted, healthy adults are caught more frequently than young and sick specimens. On the islands of Komodo , Rinca and Flores , the boar's main predator is the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis ). The species originally occurred in North Africa and much of Eurasia ; from
5310-702: The fruit-bearing season. This is in contrast to the Caucasian and Transcaucasian mountain areas, where boars will occupy such fruit-bearing forests year-round. In the mountainous areas of the Russian Far East , the species inhabits nutpine groves, hilly mixed forests where Mongolian oak and Korean pine are present, swampy mixed taiga and coastal oak forests. In Transbaikalia , boars are restricted to river valleys with nut pine and shrubs. Boars are regularly encountered in pistachio groves in winter in some areas of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan , while in spring they migrate to open deserts; boar have also colonized deserts in several areas they have been introduced to. On
5400-530: The habitat around the Upper Cetina, from its source to the Peruća dam, is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) by the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The bird species include: common pheasant Phasianus colchicus , common quail Coturnix coturnix , shore lark Eremophila alpestris , redshank Tringa totanus , stone curlew Burhinus oedicnemus , moustached warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon , golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos and short-toed snake eagle Circaetus gallicus . Also there
5490-450: The higher slopes. The partially submerged western Dinaric Alps form the numerous islands and harbors along the Croatian coast. The most extensive example of limestone mountains in Europe are those of the Karst of the Dinaric Alps. Here, all the characteristic features are encountered again and again as one travels through this wild and thinly populated country. Limestone is a very porous rock, yet very hard and resistant to erosion . Water
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#17328455251715580-406: The islands of Komodo and Rinca , the boar mostly inhabits savanna or open monsoon forests, avoiding heavily forested areas unless pursued by humans. Wild boar are known to be competent swimmers, capable of covering long distances. In 2013, one boar was reported to have completed the 11-kilometre (7 mi) swim from France to Alderney in the Channel Islands . Due to concerns about disease, it
5670-595: The late Villafranchian , S. scrofa largely displaced the related S. strozzii , a large, possibly swamp-adapted suid ancestral to the modern S. verrucosus throughout the Eurasian mainland, restricting it to insular Asia. Its closest wild relative is the bearded pig of Malacca and surrounding islands. As of 2005 , 16 subspecies are recognised, which are divided into four regional groupings: sahariensis (Heim de Balzac, 1937) nipponicus (Heude, 1899) mediterraneus (Ulmansky, 1911) reiseri (Bolkay, 1925) sardous (Ströbel, 1882) With
5760-409: The mainland, which suggests domestication in the adjacent mainland by then. There was also a separate domestication in China, which took place about 8,000 years ago. DNA evidence from sub-fossil remains of teeth and jawbones of Neolithic pigs shows that the first domestic pigs in Europe had been brought from the Near East. This stimulated the domestication of local European wild boars, resulting in
5850-1118: The more productive areas of Eastern Europe , males average 110–130 kg (240–290 lb) in weight, 95 cm (37 in) in shoulder height and 160 cm (63 in) in body length, while females weigh 95 kg (209 lb), reach 85–90 cm (33–35 in) in shoulder height, and reach 145 cm (57 in) in body length. In Western and Central Europe , the largest males weigh 200 kg (440 lb) and females 120 kg (260 lb). In Northeastern Asia, large males can reach brown bear -like sizes, weighing 270 kg (600 lb) and measuring 110–118 cm (43–46 in) in shoulder height. Some adult males in Ussuriland and Manchuria have been recorded to weigh 300–350 kg (660–770 lb) and measure 125 cm (49 in) in shoulder height. Adults of this size are generally immune from wolf predation. Such giants are rare in modern times, as past overhunting has prevented animals from attaining their full growth. The winter coat consists of long, coarse bristles underlaid with short brown downy fur. The length of these bristles varies along
5940-407: The most favorable areas consisting of forest composed of oak and beech enclosing marshes and meadows . In the Białowieża Forest , the animal's primary habitat consists of well-developed broad-leaved and mixed forests, along with marshy mixed forests, with coniferous forests and undergrowths being of secondary importance. Forests made up entirely of oak groves and beeches are used only during
6030-484: The most rugged and extensive mountainous areas of Europe, alongside the Caucasus Mountains , Alps , Pyrenees , Carpathian Mountains and Scandinavian Mountains . They are formed largely of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of dolomite , limestone , sandstone and conglomerates formed by seas and lakes that once covered the area. During the Alpine earth movements that occurred 50 to 100 million years ago, immense lateral pressures folded and overthrust
6120-421: The mother be absent, the piglets lie closely pressed to each other. By two weeks of age, the piglets begin accompanying their mother on her journeys. Should danger be detected, the piglets take cover or stand immobile, relying on their camouflage to keep them hidden. The neonatal coat fades after three months, with adult colouration being attained at eight months. Although the lactation period lasts 2.5–3.5 months,
6210-688: The mountainous terrain subsides to make way for the waters of the Drin River and the plains of Kosovo. The Dinarides are named after Mount Dinara (1,831 m), a prominent peak in the center of the mountain range on the border with the Dalmatian part of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Names of the chain in local languages include Albanian : Alpet Dinarike [alpɛt dinaɾikɛ] or Dinaret ; Italian : Alpi Dinariche [alpi dinarike] ; Serbo-Croatian : Динариди , Dinaridi or Динарско горје Dinarsko gorje [dìnarskòː ɡòːrjeː] ; Slovene : Dinarsko gorstvo [dìnarskòː ɡòːrstvòː] . The Dinaric Karst region
6300-400: The mountains. The mountains and plateaus within the Dinarides are found in the following regions: Sus scrofa The wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), also known as the wild swine , common wild pig , Eurasian wild pig , or simply wild pig , is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa , and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania . The species is now one of
6390-402: The name is the origin to the name of one of the major mountain regions of Europe, the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides . Dinara is located only a few dozen kilometers away from the Adriatic Sea , and is part of the Dalmatian Hinterland , but the climate on Dinara is a much colder, mountain climate , making it one of the coldest places in Croatia with average temperatures between 2 and 4 °C at
6480-400: The nests of ground-nesting species, killing fawns and young domestic livestock, destroying agricultural crops, eating tree seeds and seedlings, destroying native vegetation and wetlands through wallowing, damaging water quality, coming into violent conflict with humans and pets and carrying pig and human diseases including brucellosis , trichinosis and pseudorabies . In some jurisdictions, it
6570-525: The peaks. The average precipitation is high, while the number of sunny hours per year ranges between 1,700 and 1,900. There are no inhabited areas on the mountain itself and human presence consists mostly of small shacks that belong to the herdsmen from the nearby valleys such as that of the Cetina river. One of the most fascinating massifs is on the southwestern slope. It is six kilometers long and up to 1,700 meters high, providing an interesting landscape for
6660-415: The piglets are adopted by the other sows in the sounder. Newborn piglets weigh around 600–1,000 grams, lacking underfur and bearing a single milk incisor and canine on each half of the jaw. There is intense competition between the piglets over the most milk-rich nipples, as the best-fed young grow faster and have stronger constitutions. The piglets do not leave the lair for their first week of life. Should
6750-413: The piglets begin displaying adult feeding behaviours at the age of 2–3 weeks. The permanent dentition is fully formed by 1–2 years. With the exception of the canines in males, the teeth stop growing during the middle of the fourth year. The canines in old males continue to grow throughout their lives, curving strongly as they age. Sows attain sexual maturity at the age of one year, with males attaining it
6840-514: The point where 70% of their body weight is concentrated in the posterior, which is the opposite of wild boar, where most of the muscles are concentrated on the head and shoulders. The Heude's pig ( Sus bucculentus ), also known as the Indochinese warty pig or Vietnam warty pig, was an alleged pig species found in Laos and Vietnam . It was virtually unknown and was feared extinct , until the discovery of
6930-552: The refuge the Dinaric Alps have provided to various armed forces. During the Roman period, the Dinarides provided shelter to the Illyrians resisting Roman conquest of the Balkans, which began with the conquest of the eastern Adriatic coast in the 3rd century BC. Rome conquered the whole of Illyria in 168 BC, but these mountains sheltered Illyrian resistance forces for many years until the area's complete subjugation by 14 AD. More recently,
7020-616: The rocks in a great arc around the old rigid block of the northeast. The main tectonic phase of the orogenesis in the area of the Dinaric Karst took place in Cenozoic Era (Paleogene) as a result of the Adriatic Microplate (Adria) collision with Europe, and the process is still active. The Dinaric Alps were thrown up in more or less parallel ranges, stretching like necklaces from the Julian Alps as far as northern Albania and Kosovo, where
7110-539: 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. 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: it is capable of digging 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) into frozen ground and can upturn rocks weighing 40–50 kg (88–110 lb). The eyes are small and deep-set and
7200-593: The species was found to have lived in Finland more than 8,000 years ago. It is believed, however, that man prevented its establishment by hunting. In Denmark , the last boar was shot at the beginning of the 19th century, and by 1900 they were absent in Tunisia and Sudan and large areas of Germany, Austria and Italy. In Russia, they were extirpated in wide areas by the 1930s. The last boar in Egypt reportedly died on 20 December 1912 in
7290-1082: The surface to the water once more. The Dinaric rivers carved many canyons characteristic for Dinaric Alps, and in particular karst. Among the largest and most well known are the Neretva , the Rakitnica , the Prača , the Drina , the Sutjeska , the Vrbas , the Ugar , the Piva , the Tara , the Komarnica , the Morača , the Cem/Ciijevna , the Lim , and the Drin . Only along the Dinaric gorges
7380-564: The time that the DEFRA population estimate was 100, a photo of a boar sounder in the forest near Staunton with over 33 animals visible was published and at about the same time over 30 boar were seen in a field near the original escape location of Weston under Penyard many kilometres or miles away. In early 2010 the Forestry Commission embarked on a cull, with the aim of reducing the boar population from an estimated 150 animals to 100. By August it
7470-528: The traditional name for a female, again comes from Old English and Germanic; it stems from Proto-Indo-European , and is related to the Latin : sus and Greek [[[:wikt:ὗς#Ancient Greek| hus ]]] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) , and more closely to the New High German Sau . The young may be called piglets or boarlets . The animals' specific name scrofa
7560-897: The travelers on the roads in the valley below to view. The massif does not attract many climbers , but its Ošljak peak (1,706 m) does. Native vegetation of the Dinara region comprises a large number of plant communities, or habitat types. According to the data available, in the area of the Dinara mountain there are around 750 plant species, of which more than 110 are strictly protected and 55 are endemics. The flora consists of mountain grasslands, Scopoli's rockcress ( Arabidopsis arenosa , Arabidopsis halleri and Arabidopsis croatica ), Dinarian mouse-ear hawkweed ( Hieracium pilosella ), Dalmatian rockbell ( Edraianthus dalmaticus ), pasque flower ( Pulsatilla ), lion's paw ( Leonotis leonurus ), yellow gentian ( Gentiana lutea ), common juniper ( Juniperus communis ) and hairy azalea ( Rhododendron ). The Dinara region, particularly Dinara itself and
7650-551: The unlawful killing of a boar. Charles I attempted to reintroduce the species into the New Forest , but this population was exterminated in the 17th century during the English Civil War . Between their medieval extinction and the 1980s, when wild boar farming began, only a handful of captive wild boar, imported from the continent, were present in Britain. Occasional escapes of wild boar from wildlife parks have occurred as early as
7740-403: The way. Once a sounder has been located, the male drives off all young animals and persistently chases the sows. At this point, the male fiercely fights potential rivals. A single male can mate with 5–10 sows. By the end of the rut, males are often badly mauled and have lost 20% of their body weight, with bite-induced injuries to the penis being common. The gestation period varies according to
7830-622: The western bank of the Drina Valley . Sinjal, often marked as Dinara on maps, is the highest mountain in Croatia with an impressive south-western cliff, several hundred meters high, that is prominently visible from the Dalmatian plain below. It has a prominence of 728 m. This explains why the mountain Dinara , not being the highest in the range, still came to give its name to the whole range. In addition,
7920-553: The widest-ranging mammals in the world, as well as the most widespread suiform . It has been assessed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range, high numbers, and adaptability to a diversity of habitats. It has become an invasive species in part of its introduced range. Wild boars probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene and outcompeted other suid species as they spread throughout
8010-450: Was shot and incinerated. Wild boar rest in shelters, which contain insulating material like spruce branches and dry hay . These resting places are occupied by whole families (though males lie separately) and are often located in the vicinity of streams, in swamp forests and in tall grass or shrub thickets. Boars never defecate in their shelters and will cover themselves with soil and pine needles when irritated by insects. The wild boar
8100-581: Was stated that efforts were being made to reduce the population from 200 to 90, but that only 25 had been killed. The failure to meet cull targets was confirmed in February 2011. Wild boars have crossed the River Wye into Monmouthshire , Wales. Iolo Williams, the BBC Wales wildlife expert, attempted to film Welsh boar in late 2012. Many other sightings, across the UK, have also been reported. The effects of wild boar on
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