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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:44:55 -0500

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fieldandstream-editor — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:55 -0500

1. Hooves
They're more rounded than a deer's, so the tracks aren't as pointed.

2. Hide
It's very tough. A shield of gristle girds the rib cage of grown boars.

3. Ears
Like deer, hogs have an excellent auditory sense.

4. Eyes
Vision is poor, which benefits the stalking hunter.

5. Tusks
If it weren't for its tusks (and those scrumptious hams), the feral hog might be relegated to the status of an overgrown cotton rat. Those nasty, overgrown chompers have given the wild pig a reputation of a quarry you don't want to lose sight of in the woods. Wild boar tusks are actually elongated canines. The top teeth are hollow and serve as a whetstone for the longer lower teeth, which continue to grow throughout the animal's life. They can grow to half a foot long, at least. Coupled with an attitude problem, the tusks make an average-size pig an animal not to turn your back on.

Russell Graves

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