How Does a Wild Boar Find Food?

Finding Food

Tusks and snout

Wild boars are large animals weighing up to 300 pounds. They can also be up to five feet long. Male boars have tusks. Both female and male boars have long snouts. They are foragers in hunting for food. Eyesight plays little role in this hunt for food. Instead wild boars rely on a very keen sense of smell. They can even smell food underground. Once they have located food with their sense of smell they have the ability to use their strong snouts to dig the food up. If they live close to landfills they will also dig through the garbage for things to eat. Wild boars normally hunt for food at dawn and dusk in groups.

Foods

Foraging for food

The boars dig to uproot bugs and roots to eat. Wild boars actually will eat just about anything from eggs, mushrooms and fruits to grass, reptiles and birds. Basically if it moves or grows they will eat it. In addition, they will even eat dead animals they may come across. A favorite food is hickory nuts and acorns. This is why you will often see wild boars living and foraging in areas with oak trees

Territory

Wild boars in mud

Wild boars live in groups and prefer to live in areas that have trees and a lot of leaf litter. They like open damp woodlands. An area like this is like a smorgasbord for wild boars because it offers a variety of foods.

They also need to be near water or at least muddy areas because they do not perspire. Wallowing in the mud cools them off and kills parasites as well as unearthing small amphibians to eat. They will stay in their home area their whole lives, never venturing beyond a few square miles. However, if their food sources disappear, boars have been known to travel up to 50 miles in search of food. Although most do live in damp woodlands, they can live in mountains and deserts, too, because of their ability to smell and dig out food. That and the ability to eat practically anything make them a very sturdy species.

Resources

• Wild Boar Information
• Wild Boar Facts