Suidae (Sub-family of Artiodactyla)

Suidae, from Latin sus (“hog”), in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are hog-related animals.

Common names of members

Wild boars, domestic pigs.

Distribution

Native species distributed in the Old World, i.e. Africa, Asia, and Europe. Now introduced to all continents except Antarctica.

Size

They are small to medium animals, varying in size from 58 to 66 cm in length and 6 to 9 kg in weight to 130–210 cm and 100–275 kg.

Morphology

They have a bucket-shaped body. Typically, they have a long snout and small eyes. They have small, pointed ears. A few of them possess two elongated lower incisors. Both their tail and legs are comparatively short. Each foot has four toes, but they only use the middle two to walk—the other two are kept off the ground. They also have a simple stomach, rather than the more complex, ruminant, stomach found in most other artiodactyl families.

Ecology & Habitat

Terrestrial habitats: grasslands, forests, deserts, etc.

Diet

They also have an acute sense of smell. Many species are omnivorous, eating grass, leaves, roots, insects, worms, and even small vertebrates. Other species are more selective and purely herbivorous.

Reproduction

They live in groups. They are the only family in artiodactyla that have large litter size (2-14). Females will build a nest before giving birth. In most species females are mainly responsible for parenting care.