Wild pigs (wild boars) feed the bulk of their livelihood in the ground. At the same time, a long snout, at the end of which there is a very mobile patch, is a powerful weapon. It was not for nothing that we used the word “powerful”: in search of food, an animal plows them not only a bed of fallen leaves, but also the upper layers of the soil, and if necessary, can dig rather deep holes. And what do wild boars eat, what delicacy is the most preferable for them? Let's look at this issue in more detail.
Plant food
First, let's talk about what “wild boars-vegetarians” eat. The diet of wild pigs is very wide and depends primarily on the habitat of animals. In the forest zone, the diet is based on the fruits and seeds of plants, mosses, lichens, mushrooms, nuts. Piglets do not disdain forest berries, but acorns are a favorite delicacy of wild boars. In riverine areas and floodplains, wild pigs eagerly eat sweet, starchy rhizomes of cattail, dig dunes in search of ephemeral bulbs, and at the end of summer they take pleasure in the taste of saltpeter berries that are delicious.
In the forest-steppe zone, the wild boar loves to visit fields with crops of grain crops, vegetables or melons. If the farmer does not take action in a timely manner, then the animals can completely destroy his crop.
Meat eaters
Despite the richness of plant foods, there are no pure vegetarians among pigs. They are very pleased to consume various animal foods. Let's see what wild boars-predators eat. It is often possible to observe how these animals tear apart populations of gerbils and other rodents. However, the boar is not limited to this and can act as a real predator. So, in winter, he does not miss a chance and chases gape muskrats that went out on the ice. In addition, the wild boar will not disdain a hare caught in a trap or a hunting loop. Pigs hunt wounded animals especially recklessly, here they can be compared even with hunting dogs. For example, finding a trace of a wounded pheasant, a wild boar quickly catches up and eats a bird. There are cases when pigs attacked even roe deer and sheep cubs, not inferior in greed to the orderlies of the forest - wolves. This ungulate predator is well aware of the places where you can profit from meat. So, during the breeding season of colonial birds, wild pigs pick up herons, rooks, and cormorants that have fallen from the nest. The locust is a special delicacy. At the end of July, when the foot locusts move in huge swifts, occupying a strip up to several hundred meters wide and up to 10 cm thick, wild pigs gather to the place of concentration of insects and pursue them in herds, eating large numbers of pests. At the same time, the pigs munching spreads over vast distances.
Foreign thieves
Now we will consider what wild boar “destroyers” eat. Yes, it turns out there are some. The fact is that wild pigs are famous for the destruction of the muskrat huts. This is very easily explained, because a whole pile of food residues accumulates in the minks of this animal. Muskrats build special "huts-pantries" in which cane sprouts and plant rhizomes prepared for the winter are stored. By the way, in one pantry can be several tens of kilograms of feed. Why not a boar and a glance to visit a thrifty animal?
Professional fisherman
Boar nutrition is not limited to plant and animal food. A significant portion of his diet is fish. Besides the fact that wild pigs eat dead fish, they find a variety of ways to enjoy a bream or carp, which spawned. In winter, animals watch for thawing in small places of perches.
Thanks to the developed fishing, wild boars use not only waste, but also “help” the fishermen to inspect the installed gear. So, the old experienced billhook is able to scout the installation sites of venters, cats, nets, so often removes the catch before the owner of the gear. These huge animals are capable of swimming with great skill to get to the venter, to tear the net with their fangs and, having launched their long snout inside, with great pleasure and loud champing, gobble up its contents. Satisfied with a fresh fish, the wild boar goes to bed to rest. He will collect the "crop" daily and it is impossible to wean him. Often, fishermen have to leave a tribute to the beast: on its way to leave lure, which the animal may well be satisfied and will not touch the gear.
What does a wild boar eat in winter?
The cold season for wild pigs is the most difficult time, because under the ice and snow it is very difficult to find food, and even harder to get it. In especially snowy winters, it is difficult for boars to even move around. The worst thing for them is the ice crust. On a frozen crust, animals peel their legs into the blood, and most importantly, they cannot get food from under it. In addition to the methods of obtaining food described above (hunting for muskrats and fishing on thawed patches), wild boars quite often make forays into vegetable gardens and fields in winter, climb into haystacks left on hayfields.
