Wild boar (boar) is ancient ancestor domestic pig. Zoologists call the female the queen, and the male the cleaver. This beast has not only a ferocious temperament, but also considerable size. The largest wild boar is believed to weigh half a ton.

The largest boars in history

Thanks to care, good nutrition and protection from disease, domestic pigs tend to grow more massive than their wild relatives. The same applies to the largest wild boars - records for weight and parameters are broken by representatives of breeds bred by man:

• In the 19th century, an English farmer managed to raise a giant named Old Slot, having a body length of 3.5 meters and a weight of more than 6 tons.
• In the 1930s, a hog named Big Bill was raised in Texas.. This hybrid of Chinese and Polish breeds weighed more than a ton and had a body length of 2 m 70 cm.
• The Agricultural Museum of China houses a stuffed boar, Chun Chun., weighing more than 900 kg, 2.5 meters long. This is the largest wild boar in the state for many centuries.
• Big Norma- another American record pig, weighing 1200 kg and having a body length of more than 2 meters.

Wild boars are significantly inferior to huge domestic pigs in the rate of weight gain. IN natural conditions animals have to move a lot to get food, and in winter they suffer from a lack of it. Domestic boars live on everything ready-made, so they quickly and constantly gain weight.

Record holder of our time

Some of the records of the past seem dubious. And this is understandable, because even 100–150 years ago, weighing a huge pig was very problematic. Therefore, the weight of animals was often determined by eye - by measurements. In addition, the fact of errors and outright manipulation of data cannot be ruled out. As for modern records, all results are reliable and easily verified. Maybe that’s why the record holders of the 21st century weigh much less than the giants who lived before.

Today there are three famous pigs, distinguished by their significant mass and parameters:

• American pig named Big Norma. Its mass is more than a ton, and its length is 2.5 meters.
• At the beginning of 2017, a Chinese boar won the annual “King of Pig” competition. The large boar weighed more than 750 kg.
• The Donetsk region also stood out on the world stage of attractions. There, not long ago, the boar Manyunya, who weighed more than a ton, ended his days at the slaughterhouse.

These representatives of domestic pigs are considered to be this moment the largest in the world.

The largest killed boar

Hunters love to brag about the size of the animals they kill, especially wild boars. Trophies are valuable because getting them is very difficult and dangerous. The powerful boar is aggressive and defends its life to the last. But there are lucky ones who managed to hit the largest animals:

1. A huge boar weighing half a ton was shot in one of the forests in the Sverdlovsk region in early autumn 2015. The man managed to hit the giant’s carotid artery with one of the shots. This boar is considered the largest in the world - more than 500 kg and 1.7 m in length.
2. IN American state Alabama, eleven-year-old hunter Jamisse managed to shoot a cleaver weighing 4 quintals. The age of the hunter and the size of his prey are surprising.
3. At the beginning of the 21st century, a wild boar was killed in the state of Georgia, which amazed people not so much with its mass (about 370 kg), but with its almost 70 cm long fangs. Then zoologists found out that the animal was a hybrid of a domestic pig with a wild cleaver and, most likely, was raised on a farm.
4. A wild animal weighing more than 350 kg was shot dead in the forests of Georgia.
5. The Turkish hunter was also lucky enough to get a trophy weighing 350 kg. The beast was eaten in the fields of the peasants.

Largest animal statue

The most monumental sculpture dedicated to a pig was the giant Voynich boar. The statue is located between the French towns of Charleville-Mezières and Raethel. The author - Eric Slezirak - created this masterpiece for a decade, its cost is 600 thousand euros. The height of the stone cleaver is 9.5 m, the width is almost 11 m, and the weight is 50 tons. This is the most fundamental sculpture of a wild animal. The largest boar monument is visited by many tourists.

Huge boars in myths and legends

Since ancient times, people have mentioned in myths, fairy tales and legends the largest pigs or those that stand out in other respects:

• In Scandinavian folklore mention is made of the heavenly chamber Valhalla - the place where the souls of warriors who died on the battlefield live. Every morning, men roast a boar on a spit, and after that the wonderful cleaver comes to life and runs away through the thicket.
• In eastern legends The boar is considered the personification of passion, naivety and pleasure. In Chinese legends - nobility and prosperity.
• In ancient Greek myths The cleaver is often mentioned. A terrible monster lived on Mount Erymanthus and terrified the population of Thessaly. The king asked Hercules to destroy the monster. The mythological hero managed to save ordinary people from misfortune. Another legend tells how, in a difficult and long battle, Atlas and Meleager defeated the largest boar sent by the goddess Aphrodite. In another myth, the beast wounds Adonis.

Unfortunately, in Russia the number of wild boars is constantly declining. This is due to many factors: reduction of forest area, construction, industrial development and deterioration of the environmental situation. But even today, in hard-to-reach forests, you can stumble upon boars, frightening not only with their impressive size, but also with their animal power.

The ancestor of the domestic pig, the wild pig or boar, is called a boar. The male is usually called the cleaver and the female the queen. The wild boar is taller and larger than the domestic pig due to longer thick legs; it has a muscular short and strong wide body. The wild pig has a long, narrow head with erect, sharp, sensitive ears and ever-growing curved fangs, about 10 cm long, that protrude from the mouth. Because of the shape of these tusks, male wild boars received the name “cleaver.” Boars settled throughout the world, excluding the Arctic and Antarctic.

Boars have a ferocious temperament, they are very brave and are not afraid of humans and other large animals. Its body weight - up to 200 kg - and sharp fangs make meeting it dangerous for humans and predators such as wolves, tigers, bears and leopards. These animals are the only natural enemies of wild boars in nature, although they themselves are quite often killed when attacking a boar. The wild pig has a very thick layer of fat on its chest that protects it from the claws and teeth of predators.

The boar is a large, strong and determined animal. Average weight wild pig - 100 kg (for a female), but specimens weighing 150-200 kg, mostly males, are often found. However, 200 kg of body weight is not the limit for these animals.

In many regions of Russia, a male domestic pig is mistakenly called a wild boar, while a wild boar in the true sense is a separate biological species, and a male domestic pig is usually called a boar or knur (knur) if he is not castrated, and a hog if he is castrated.

The largest wild boar in the world, as it was believed until 2015, was killed in the USA, in the state of Alabama, in 2007 by a group of American hunters, among whom was an 11-year-old boy. The boar weighed 480 kg, almost half a ton. At the same time, it was the young hunter, 11 years old, who made the decisive shot. At the same time, a huge boar is not the boy’s first hunting trophy. According to his father, at the age of 5 he shot a deer. But, of course, a boar weighing 480 kg is the greatest hunting trophy of a brave boy.

Previously, it was assumed that the largest representative of the wild pig was shot in the USA, Georgia, in 2004. He weighed 360 kg. But genetic analysis of the carcass showed the animal was a cross between a wild boar and a feral domestic pig, rather than a purebred boar.

Read also: What is feed yeast used for growing pigs?

The largest killed wild boar in Russia weighed 550 kg. The location of its discovery in different sources is indicated differently - the Sverdlovsk region and the city of Chelyabinsk. A giant boar walked onto the trail ahead of hunters in 2015. One of the hunters fired two shots. The first shot wounded the boar in the face, and another shot pierced an artery in the animal’s neck. The boar lived for some time after receiving mortal wound. The hunter was lucky that the wounded cleaver did not attack him. Typically, a wounded or angry boar attacks its opponent and kills or seriously injures him with its tusks. A person who is not protected by special clothing has virtually no chance of surviving a wild boar attack. Apparently, the cause of the animal’s atypical behavior was large blood loss and loss of orientation in space.

Gamekeepers believe that the beast has reached such a gigantic size due to the fact that in most regions hunting wild boars is prohibited, and the number of natural predators is not so large as to significantly influence the boar population. In addition, wild boars often approach populated areas in search of food, while wild cats, wolves and bears avoid proximity to humans. Therefore, the boar was able to fatten itself to such an exorbitant size. Typically, wild boars live 10-12 years, and in protected areas where hunting is prohibited and there are few natural enemies- live up to 20 years. The pig killed was probably close to two decades old.

Another argument cited is the likelihood of large breeds interbreeding with feral domestic pigs. After all, even the largest wild boar is small compared to the record-breaking giant breed pigs.

The largest domestic pig, weighing more than 600 kg, now lives in the UK. In the USA, Texas, a boar, a cross between Polish and Chinese breeds, weighed 1153 kg. After his death, a stuffed animal was made from his skin. The boar from China weighed about 900 kg. Representatives of giant breeds of pigs reach 400 kg in weight. It happens that domestic pigs escape from their pens and remain undetected by their owners. They quickly adapt to new living conditions and interbreed with wild relatives. Piglets are born in several generations of normal size, but sometimes very large individuals are born. They just grow out of them largest representatives kind. Therefore, perhaps the largest wild boar in the world is alive and roaming free, undetected by humans.

What the largest known wild boar in the world looks like is a question that we intend to answer in the article. Any hunter will tell you that a wild animal differs from a domestic pig not so much in its impressive size as in its ferocity. Indeed, on its natural food, this animal does not always manage to achieve its goal. maximum size. And yet there are individual individuals, as well as species of wild boars that reach simply incredible sizes. Among domesticated animals, individuals of even cyclopean sizes are created through crossing.

The first animal of this species, which became widely famous throughout the world, was Big Bill. It was a boar that was obtained by crossing two breeds, namely Chinese and Polish. An amazing animal was brought to the USA. The wild boar lived in Texas until his death in 1933. The weight of this amazing boar was 1.158 tons, and it was 2.72 meters long.

When Big Bill died, his owners stuffed him. For many years it was passed down from generation to generation, but now the location of the amazing exhibit is unknown. But a photo of this incredible animal has survived. For decades it was believed to be the largest wild boar in the world, but today many other animals challenge this title.

Another boar famous for its size is Chun Chun from China. It weighed 900 kilograms, and the animal was 2.5 meters long. Unfortunately, due to its enormous size and weight, the boar did not live long - only 4 years. Now his effigy can be seen in the museum Agriculture China.

Big Norma is the only pig and not a boar on this list. She weighed 1,200 tons and was 2.5 meters long, making her the largest of those listed. This American pig has already died and was not stuffed, so one can only imagine how big it was.

The largest in the world – currently

It is difficult to say which wild or domestic pig should be considered the largest among those living or living at the present time. One of the giant boars, whose size has not yet been surpassed by anyone, was Old Slot - during his lifetime he lived in Great Britain. The weight of this amazing boar reached more than 6 tons and 395 kilograms with a body length of 3.5 meters. This boar belonged to the Gloucester pig breed.

Such cyclopean dimensions have not yet been surpassed by any known boar. Unfortunately, there is no video of this amazing beast, but photos have been preserved.

Giant wild boar

Among the recent wild boars, in addition to the already mentioned Old Slot, there were also animals of enormous size. The wild boar killed in 2004 in Georgia, USA, became very famous. At the time of capture, his weight was stated to be 380 kilograms and his length was 3.5 meters. The animal, respecting its size, was nicknamed Cabzilla. Subsequently, it turned out that the dimensions were exaggerated, in particular, the weight was 360 kilograms and the length was 2.4 meters.

Another giant boar has been shot and killed in Alabama. Its weight was 480 kilograms and its length was as much as 3.5 meters. The fangs were especially long - 13 centimeters. According to the official press, the hunter who shot such a huge wild boar was an 11-year-old boy whose father taught him to hunt.

The parameters of wild animals may seem significantly smaller than those achieved by some of the domestic boars listed above. But it must be taken into account that they lived in wildlife and ate feed that was not prepared by humans.

Such giant animals in nature are an amazing and dangerous phenomenon for a hunter who risks encountering them. The highest quality photo or even video cannot convey the sensations that a person experiences when encountering such a creature in the forest.

Huge boars in myths and legends

Wild boars have been famous since ancient times for their size, as well as their ferocity, which increased their parameters in the eyes of any hunter. Even Hercules himself, the hero of numerous myths and legends, did not escape the fate of the battle with a giant boar. The so-called Erymanthian boar remained the largest and most ferocious in the legends of the peoples of Europe until the Middle Ages.

The largest boar sculpture

The Voynich boar statue, which is in some way a tribute to similar giant animals, is very popular among tourists. You can find it in France, in the territory located between the cities of Raethel and Charleville-Mezières.

The construction of the amazing sculpture took 10 years, and its cost is estimated at 600 thousand euros. The size of the sculpture by Eric Sleziak is also impressive: 9.5 meters in height, 5 meters in width, length is 11 meters. The weight of the artificial beast is 50 tons.

Every person, especially those who like to hunt, would certainly be curious to know what the largest wild boar is. Remembering the school zoology course, we can say that the wild boar is an artiodactyl animal belonging to the class of mammals. This animal is a type of pig. The difference is that it has coarse and thick bristles of a gray-brown hue. Its length can reach 15 cm. The boar is naturally awarded a black penny, and the males have huge tusks. The adult large male of this species has another name - cleaver. As for wild boars, hunters know firsthand that they differ from domestic boars not so much in their size as in their ferocious disposition. However, among the wild relatives of the beast you can see those that have reached an unimaginable size.

This animal is a type of pig

As a rule, they hunt a wild boar, waiting for the animal in ambush opposite its bedding area. Experienced hunters from the tracks of a wild boar, broken branches of bushes and trees, they can determine which way the animal moves, where it quenches its thirst, saturates its stomach and rests. Hunters can also take advantage of the moment while a wild animal is consuming food. After all, at this time the boar does not see anything around. It must be said that hunting wild boars has a lot of nuances. For example, the animal has a very developed sense of smell, so you can and should only approach it against the direction of the wind, so that the boar does not smell the smell of an approaching person.

Another common way of hunting wild beast is a drive in which the cleaver is driven by a pack of dogs and beaters to a certain place, where several hunters are already waiting for him. Thus, hunting wild animals is very popular among those people who love and appreciate risk. After all, this type of hobby poses a much greater danger than others. Nevertheless, a huge number of hunters go hunting for wild boar alone or in groups. This allows everyone to test their level of skill and endurance, as well as keep themselves in shape.

Gallery: the world's largest wild boar (25 photos)

The largest wild boar in the world (video)

The first giant hog

Among the first to become famous, the largest boar in the world is a beast named Big Bill. He was a hog, born from Chinese and Polish pigs. Big Bill lived in Texas until his death in 1933. The mass of the unusual animal was 1158 kg, the length of the beast reached 2.72 m.

After the giant boar died, its owners decided to stuff the pet. For many years it was passed down from generation to generation by inheritance. However, at present, no one knows the place where the scarecrow is located. But a photo has survived showing this huge boar. For many decades, this specimen was considered a record holder in size among its peers. However, at present, many animals are trying to challenge the palm and prove that the said American pig is not the largest on the globe.

Another hog famous for its size is the Chinese boar Chun Chun. The animal weighed 900 kg, the length of the beast was 2.5 m. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the size of the beast was too large, the hog lived no more than 4 years. Today it is possible to observe his stuffed animal in China in the agricultural museum.

An exception to the list of record holders is the Big Norma pig. The weight of the most impressive piglet in the world was 1.2 tons, its length reached 2.5 m. The animal had already died, and the stuffed boar was never made. Therefore, our contemporaries can only imagine what the animal could be like.

The huge boar of modern times

It is difficult to evaluate and determine exactly whether the wild or domesticated boar is considered the largest among those living or living in our time. The largest boar, whose dimensions have not yet been surpassed by anyone, is the Old Slot boar. This animal lived in Great Britain. The weight of the largest boar was more than 6.4 tons, the body length reached 3.5 m. Unfortunately, up to today Failed to save photo of the animal.

Impressive wild cleaver

Wild cleavers can also be considered giants. The largest American wild pig was killed in 2004 in the state of Georgia in the USA. The boar was given the nickname Cabzilla. The largest wild boar weighed 380 kg, the length of the animal reached 3.5 m. However, after the killed animal was studied in more detail, its actual weight was 360 kg, while the length of the animal was 2.4 m.

Another 1 wild boar was killed while hunting in Alabama. As journalists later reported, the animal was shot by an American boy, who at that time was only 11 years old. The largest boar killed was 480 kg of live weight and reached 3.5 m in length.

Boar hunting (video)

Largest animal statue

The largest sculpture dedicated to this animal is the statue of the Voynich boar. This huge stone boar is located in France, on the territory between the cities of Raethel and Charleville-Mezières.

The creation of the sculpture took its author 10 years, the cost of the statue was 600 thousand euros. The stone animal reaches a height of 9.5 m and a width of 11 m. The giant weighs 50 tons. It must be said that the sculpture of a huge boar is very popular among tourists.

Externally, wild cleavers are noticeably different from their domesticated counterparts. The front of the body is more powerful, while the back is leaner. Wild boars have coarser, stiffer bristles and fearsome fangs on the lower jaw, which is why wild boars are called cleavers. The cleaver's fangs continue to grow throughout life. The most dangerous enemy for hunters is the wild boar, which has reached the age of 5-7 years. In turn, the life expectancy of a wild boar does not exceed 10-15 years.

The size of a pig is a source of pride for its owner. The largest animals are selected for the breeding to ensure maximum weight gain for the next generations. By fattening your pet to an unprecedented weight, you can end up in the Guinness Book of Records. Moreover, if the largest boar in the world was caught as a trophy. Respect and glory are guaranteed to the successful hunter.

Giant wild boars

Rumors of giant boars excite the imagination of hunters. Mentally imagining themselves as the owners of unprecedented trophies, they go after the loot over and over again. Large, cunning, aggressive and unusually intelligent animals command true respect. And if you come across a giant boar and manage to control it, then universal recognition is guaranteed.

Depending on their habitat, wild boars weigh about 270 kg. Larger individuals are found in the eastern part of Eurasia. The largest of them reach 0.5 tons. Despite the statistics, under certain conditions, some animals weigh much more than the norm applicable to a particular region.

• The largest wild boar in the world was shot in the forests of the Ural Mountains in 2015. This news spread throughout the world. The lucky winner of the trophy, weighing over half a ton, was Peter Maksimov. It is believed that there are several more wild boars in the surrounding area whose weight is much higher than the average. This is due to a temporary ban on hunting, which allowed the animals to grow to unprecedented sizes.
• No less remarkable is the case when 11-year-old hunter Jamison Stone personally shot a truly gigantic wild boar in Alabama, whose weight was 480 kg. A real battle unfolded around the veracity of this event, which occurred in 2007. They could neither confirm nor deny this fact.
• In 2004, a wild boar weighing 360 kg was killed in Georgia. Initially it was stated that the weight of the giant trophy reached 450 kg. The non-trivial extraction caused a stir. In 2005, the wild boar's burial site was exhumed and checked. In addition to his weight, genetic testing revealed that he was a mestizo - a cross between wild and domestic pigs. However, the boar was indeed one of the largest.
• Exactly the same (weight approximately 350 kg) outstanding representative of wild boars was discovered in Turkey. The giant boar was given the name Attila.

Record-breaking boars

Enthusiasts who regularly participate in exhibitions with their pets have been haunted by the laurels of Big Bill (Texas) for almost a century. From 1933 until now, it is almost the largest pig in the world. Its weight reached 1.15 tons, and its length was about 2.7 m. There is information that it was a cross between Chinese and Polish pigs. At the same time, Big Bill, in terms of his parameters, was far from the average representatives of the breed. The largest pig was immortalized by making a stuffed animal out of it.

There is evidence that the other largest pig in the world is the boar Big Norma. He was raised in the suburbs of New York. The weight of the record holder is 1.2 tons with a fairly compact body length of 2.5 m.

China also has something to be proud of. Pig Chun Chun lived to be four years old. Having an incontinent appetite, he weighed 900 kg. The body, according to measurements, reached 2.5 m. Even the fangs of one of the largest pigs were outstanding; they reached 15 cm.

The legendary Old Slot lived in England. Gloucester pig, whose record weight has not been broken by anyone. Owner Joseph Lawton. Despite the small body length, not exceeding 3 meters, the boar had an outstanding mass - more than 6 tons.

The largest breeds of domestic pigs

Despite the fact that among the record holders there are Chinese, Polish, Gloucester boars, and there is also information about very large Yorkshires, others are called the largest breeds of pigs. For example, Large Whites, Landraces, Durocs. By fattening each individual individually, significant results can be achieved. At the same time, the entire livestock steadily gains weight characteristic of the breed: all other things being equal, there are no significant differences among the wild boars.

Namely:

1. Large white. As a result of long breeding work, these pigs appeared in England. The largest breeds at that time took part in the formation. This made it possible to select the largest piglets for reproduction and form a high-productivity herd. Subsequently, the Large White began to be used everywhere to create new or improve existing breeds. Almost every country has its own variation of the Large White with comparable characteristics. An adult boar weighs up to 350 kg, and the largest piglet already exceeds 100 kg in six months.
2. Landrace. No less impressive are the pigs, which are direct descendants of the Large Whites, but adapted with the help of the gene pool of indigenous animals to the harsher Danish climate. An adult Landrace reaches a length of at least 2 meters, and the weight is consistently around 300 kg. The piglets quickly gain weight: weight gain reaches 800 g per day.
3. Duroc. A breed of pig that is proud of in America. Unlike Landraces and Large Whites, Durocs are red. They were bred from several breeds of pigs brought to the USA in different time from different continents. The result was a homogeneous population of highly productive animals. The weight of an average boar is at least 300 kg.