Difference Between Boar and Hog

Boar vs Hog
 

Boar and hog are two of the most commonly confused animals, especially when it comes to connotations. Boar is simply the wild swine, but the name hog is used to refer the domestic pig as well as a couple of other wild animals known as Giant forest hog and Red river hog. Therefore, an average person could easily be confused about the hogs. Additionally, the two wild hogs are easily distinguishable for anyone and understand their differences from a wild boar. Therefore, the confusion about hog and boar should be addressed before getting into the red river and giant forest hogs. This article discusses the hog and boar separately, and then performs a sensible comparison about their characteristics to highlight the differences between them.

Hog

Hog is one of the common names used to refer the domestic pig, Sus scrofa domesticus. The ancestors of the domesticated pigs are the wild boars, but some scientists consider hogs as a separate species. The history of their domestication dates back to 13,000 BC with the civilisation of humans around the Tigris river basin. There are many breeds of hogs in different places of the world today, mostly raised for meat and sometimes as pets. Additionally, there are feral populations of hogs in New Zealand and Australia. Interestingly, hogs could be easily trained, as they are intelligent animals. Hogs are usually pink in colour with a sparse distribution of fur except in certain woolly boar crossbreeds. The fat layer beneath the skin is very thick because they do not get to exercise their bodies much like their wild relatives. There are many ways of processing hogs for human consumption as a protein source including pork, ham, sausage, bacon, and gammon. Since they have a great value as a protein source, the size of the animal would certainly matter for the pig farmers. The usual weight of a hog could be around 300 kilograms in many breeds.

Boar

Boar, Sus scrofa, is one of the ten species of pigs and usually it is referred as wild boar. Their natural distribution is predominant in Asia, but with introductions to other parts of the world, wild boar is a very common animal in almost everywhere. They have a large head and relatively short limbs compared to their body size. Their body varies from 120 to 180 centimetres in length, and the height is only 10 centimetres less than a metre. The body weight could vary from 50 to 90 kilograms. The fur of wild boar consists of stiff bristles and fine hairs, and the colouration is dark grey, brown, or black. The adult males are solitary, but the females live with the family units containing over 15 individuals in each usually. They are nocturnal and serious pests of agricultural crops, especially in South Asia.