Wild Boar
(Sus scrofa lybicus)
Status: Wild Boar are common in Lebanon even though boar remains a popular target for hunters.
Description: Wild Boars are large pigs (head and body measure approximately 133 cm) with a big head, long snout, short legs, and a long, thick, darkish-brown coat. Males have long tusk-like canine teeth. The tail is short and straight. Juveniles have short hair and dark stripes extending from back of neck to tail.
Habitat: The Wild Boar is mostly found in deciduous woodland, but is also known to feed and drink in the reed beds of the Bekaa wetlands.
Habits: Wild Boar are mostly active in the early morning, at dusk, and throughout the night. They are omnivorous and favor vegetation such as roots, bulbs, acorns, chestnuts, terrestrial and aquatic plants and cereal crops. They will also eat insects, worms, amphibians, snakes, birds and carrion, and have a keen sense of smell which aids in their feeding. A clear indication of a Wild Boar’s presence is ground that has been turned up by the boar’s snout in search for food. Another sign is yellowish mats of undigested plant matter spat onto the ground. Females and their young often associate in groups of up to ten or more. Males usually remain solitary except during rut. Mating occurs between November and January, and young are born between March and May. Litter size varies from three to ten.
Distribution: Wild Boars are widespread throughout Europe, Asia and northern Africa. In the Middle East they are mostly found along the forested areas of the eastern Mediterranean and Iraq.
Wild Boar Prints:
A sure indication of their presence are their tracks in mud or snow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH3Q0lJbk2g
