Form and Skull of Sus scrofa moupinensis - North China wild boar

Piggers! The wild boar was domesticated in China at some point between 7000-8000 BCE, after dogs, sheep, and cats, but before cattle, horses, and camels. Wild swine are native to most of Asia, Central Europe, and North Europe, but at this point have formed feral herds throughout every continent but Antarctic. In the wild, most Suidae are very aggressive in protecting themselves and their territory, and uncastrated domestic males (boars) tend to display the same characteristics in many breeds.

As one can tell by the sharp canines and incisors, and broad canines good for grinding food, Suidae are extremely omnivorous, and find food by digging through the dirt with their snouts. In males, the canine teeth grow through their entire life, though at different rates in each genus. In feral boars (Sus scrofa), the canines don’t often reach more than a few inches long, but they are razor-sharp and expertly wielded. In some other species, such as the babirusa, the overgrown canines (tusks) are much longer than those of Sus scrofa, reaching the point of growing so long they curve backwards and into the cranial cavity.

Tusk-brains aside, all Suidae are extremely intelligent when it comes to domestic animals. As omnivores, they’re both hunted and hunters in the wild, and need to have an effective and developed brain to balance both.

Elemens de zoologie. Henri Milne-Edwards, for M. Alphonse Milne Edwards. 1840.