BODY LANGUAGE OF WILD BOARS

Much of the wild hog's body language has to do with competition, aggression and dominance, or on the other hand, submission and avoidance. A dominant boar looks it. He moves with a swagger and authority that proclaim his strength and virility. He'll make demonstrations of his status by his bearing, but if there is any doubt that the other hog got the message, he'll deliver bursts of aggression--by charging the offender, and nosing or hooking the target boar--which makes him squeal and run off, or starts a fight.

Here's a dominant boar in his prime. With every step he's telling that he's tough and not to be fooled with. Another boar that doesn't accept his declaration of his status, is in for a battle. There is a tension in his posture, he trots along self-importantly, he's swinging his head and eyeing up the field as though saying, "Bring it on."
	We started chasing him down in a truck for my picture taking. He felt pressured, so he confidently wheeled around to confront our vehicle. A smart boar hog like this would not ordinarily be caught in the open, and he's mad. A really smart one would be running like a jack rabbit.
You don't have to be big to walk the walk. Here are a couple of pint sized kingpins (right and below).  This one you'll see fighting on the Aggression page.
	These two shoats were earmarked for castration and a career as meat hogs. Their looks and attitudes were so tough and self-confident, that we left them intact and turned them out to grow up as trophy boars.
In contrast, here's a non dominant barrow hog. He's good sized at over 200 pounds. His posture is slouchy and relaxed, he looks like he has nowhere important to go, and he has a "not looking for trouble" look on his face. He could take you out as well as any other wild boar, but his status in the world of hogs is that he would be submissive to a big boar, and fight only a smaller or weaker hog.

	It's painful to look at this boar who looks cringing and wilted. This fine boar hog was injured. We found him dead the next morning. It's very possible that he won the fight. Hogs like to go to water when they're sick or injured. Some say it's to cool their fever. The injured lay wound down. This keeps flies and other insects out of the wound.
This boar's showing he won't back down and he's ready to fight. Bowing his head like this says that he fully plans to hold his ground.

Now he shows the forward, stiff-legged stance that announces he's ready for action. His display, though, lacks confidence. His rageful bearing shows that he feels threatened, and communicates his fear. In the arena of Mind Games of the Wild Boar, he's already lost.

Here is a close-up of the boar as he works himself up for a confrontation, popping his jaws which sharpens his long, pointed cutters on the blunt upper whetters. The popping makes the saliva get foamy and the foam slobbers out of the hog's mouth. A slobbering hog is a dangerous hog, even more so when he's fearful. He can lunge to attack in a flash. Underestimating the speed and agility of an agitated boar is a grave, even deadly, mistake.
	A side view of the boar. The upper lip makes a pronounced curl over his big whetter. But the thinness of the skin on his snout tells that he's an older boar. Look at the wrinkly skin on his neck and chest, and how the skin on his shoulder actually wraps around the edge of his shield, making it look like a plate. The view of him stiff-legged above shows the skin at the top of his right foreleg folding over in a wrinkle. It's probably his age that makes him feel insecure about a confrontation. In his prime, he must have held his own or he would have never made it to this age, and he wouldn't have such a thick shield.
Sometimes size says it all. This monster boar's body posture isn't proud or strutting...but he's enormous, in excellent shape and the thick roll of his lip tells you that the teeth he's got under it aren't small. Very few hogs would want to take him on. These huge, whale-like boars don't have to bother advertising--except to another behemoth. They don't want to move around any more than necessary. You won't see them cutting a jig like the 250 and under hogs. He's mature but not old as you can see by the thickness of his skin.  He's probably 7 or 8 years old. Sadly, he thought too well of himself and made the mortal mistake of taking on the buffalo. We didn't see the action, but found him bluntly smashed up in a way that only the buffalo could have done.
	A much smaller and younger boar--almost 300 pounds and 4 to 5 years old. He's bayed up by the dogs and is giving his options serious thought. His mind is working with cool calculation. His body's tense, and he looks rooted to the ground. It would be easy to underestimate how actively he is planning his escape (maybe that's his strategy), and how quickly he can explode into violent retribution. He's a boar to never take your eyes off of--not for a second. He's desperate, determined and no dummy.
Another boar with some years and experience. His head is down and he's ready to stand his ground, but he's not cocky and is not spoiling for a fight. With tusks like his even a tough boar with a thick shield would have to be careful. This old soldier might not win a pushing match, but would probably score big in a cutting match.
Talk about cocky. This 300 lb. red boar hog is bullying a group of 200 lb. barrow hogs. He's swaggering around like he owns the place, and is taking personal liberties wherever he wants. He's rudely sniffing, poking and jabbing at will.	He clearly outclasses every hog around him and has nothing to prove, so his intentions are not just to declare his status. With his obnoxious intrusions, the barrows seem to be trying to lay low..."Just minding my own business."

The barrows here with their cow-like posture and behavior are good examples of non dominant hogs. What a contrast with the almost predatory look of the dominant boar.

HISTORY APPEARANCE BOARS & WATER BODY LANGUAGE FIGHTS BREEDING HOG SIGN

HOG TRACKS DIET AND PREDATORS US DISTRIBUTION FL HUNTING REGS HOG TERMS BACK TO WILD BOARS ANIMALS

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