Boar (wild)
| Few animals have such economic importance to
mankind yet suffer from such a deplorable image as does the pig. In spite of their
reputation, pigs are neither filthy nor stupid. Because their sweat glands are relatively
ineffective in lowering body temperature, pigs seek relief from the heat by wallowing in
mud or shallow waterholes. When provided with a clean environment sheltered from the sun,
however, pigs are fastidious. Furthermore, in tests of intelligence, pigs have proved to
be among the smartest of all domestic animals even more intelligent than dogs.Pigs are closely related
to peccaries and distantly related to hippopotamuses. Their snouts end in a flat, rounded
disk, which is used by all species but one to root for food. Their stocky, barrel like
bodies weigh between 300 and 700 pounds and sometimes reach weights as great as
1,900 pounds. Both males and females have tusks, which they use for defense. The tusks are
sharpened as the pig chews: its upper and lower tusks rub against one another.
Pigs have a firm, thick skin covered with a usually sparse coat of stiff hairs called bristles. Pigskin is renowned for producing a high-quality leather that "breathes" better than other types of leather. Pigs are omnivores, and the wild species eat a wide variety of foods, including leaves, roots, fruit, reptiles, rodents, and carrion. Wild pigs existed as far back as 36 million years ago. The hunting of wild pigs by early humans was often depicted in Western European cave and rock paintings dating back thousands of years. Domestic pigs probably descended from one species the Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). Domestication of the pig coincided with the formation of the first permanent human settlements. The oldest known sites of pig domestication were established about 8,500 to 9,000 years ago in Iraq, Jordan, and Turkestan. The first domestic pigs in China existed about 6,900 years ago and in Great Britain as early as 2,800 years ago. The Vikings and, later, Spanish and English colonists brought swine to the Americas. Today wild or domestic pigs can be found on every continent except Antarctica. |
Wild Boar: Str 5, Dex 2, Stamina 3, Wits 1, Intelligence 1, Perception 2, Alertness 3, Brawl 2, Intimidation 2 Armor 1 Health OK(x3), -1(x3), -2, -3, -5 Attack: Bite Str+2, Gore 5 dice |