Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is an omnivorous, gregarious mammal of the biological family Suidae. It is native across much of Central Europe, the Mediterranean Region (including North Africa's Atlas Mountains) and much of Asia as far south as Indonesia, and has been widely introduced elsewhere.

Although common in France, the wild boar became extinct in Great Britain and Ireland by the 17th century, but wild breeding populations have recently returned in some areas, particularly the Weald, following escapes from boar farms.

Boars are not native to North America. They were brought here from Europe, first by the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s (for food) and later in the 1900’s by people who wanted to hunt the pigs for sport. The wild boars you see today are the great grandchildren of European boars brought here a long time ago. Wild boars are large — sometimes 5 feet long, and weigh up to 300 pounds. They have stiff black fur and straight tails. The males have tusks that curl out of their mouth. They are not long like an elephant’s tusks, but they are still 2-5 inches long and can easily hurt you. Female boars have smaller tusks that don’t protrude as much.