Wild Boar vs Feral Hog vs Domestic Pig

Wild boar and feral hogs are the same species, Sus scrofa — the same species as the pigs on a hog farm. The difference is ancestry. A Eurasian wild boar (often called a "Russian boar") comes from truly wild Old World stock. A feral hog comes from domestic pigs that escaped or were turned loose. The two interbreed freely, and in Texas almost every wild pig you see today is a feral hog or a hybrid.

So in everyday American speech, "wild boar," "wild hog," "feral hog" and "wild pig" mostly mean the same animal. Strictly, "boar" means an adult male, "sow" an adult female, "barrow" a castrated male and "gilt" a young female. We process these hogs every day, and here is how the types differ.

Four kinds of the same pig

Texas Parks and Wildlife groups feral pigs, Eurasian wild boar and their hybrids together as "wild pigs." It notes that there are "morphological differences among the three," but they share one scientific name (TPWD).

Eurasian wild boar ("Russian boar")

The original wild pig of Europe and Asia, and the ancestor of every domestic pig. Texas A&M describes pure Eurasian boar as long-legged, with larger heads, longer snouts and shorter, straighter tails than other wild hogs. Their coat is light brown to black with cream or tan tips — a grizzled look, not solid black — and their bristles are the longest and thickest of any type, usually split at the tips (Texas A&M AgriLife, Feral Hogs in Texas).

Feral hogs

Domestic pigs that went wild, and their descendants. With each generation, the farm traits fade and wild traits take over. Color varies with the breed they came from: solid black is most common, but they can be brown, red, white, spotted or belted. Their bristles are shorter than a Eurasian's, and some have neck wattles (Texas A&M AgriLife).

Hybrids

Crosses between Eurasian boar and feral hogs. They can look like either parent or anything in between, which is why Texas A&M treats coat and bristles as clues, not proof. In Texas, hybrids and feral hogs make up nearly the whole population.

Domestic pigs

Farm pigs have been bred for fast growth, a long body and more fat. Compared with them, Texas A&M says feral hogs are "smaller, leaner, and more muscular," with heavier shoulders, longer snouts and tusks, smaller pricked ears, coarser hair and straighter tails (Texas A&M AgriLife).

How to tell them apart

An adult feral hog with spotted and dark juveniles standing in dry grass — A sounder of feral hogs. Coat color in feral hogs and hybrids varies widely. Photo: Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain

Feature	Eurasian wild boar	Feral hog	Hybrid	Domestic pig
Coat	Grizzled: brown to black with cream/tan tips	Mostly solid black; also brown, red, white, spotted, belted	Any mix of both parents	Usually sparse hair; pink, black or spotted by breed
Bristles	Longest and thickest, split tips	Shorter, solid color, split tips	Thinnest of the wild types, split tips	Fine and sparse
Head and snout	Large head, long snout	Long snout	In between	Shorter snout, often dished face
Ears	Darker than the body coat	Smaller than a farm pig's, mostly pricked	Varies	Larger; often floppy
Tail	Shortest and straightest, dark	Straighter than a farm pig's, bushy tip	Varies	Usually curly
Tusks (males)	Prominent	Prominent, up to about 5 in	Prominent	Usually trimmed or small
Build	Long legs, large head for its body	Lean and muscular, heavy shoulders	In between	Long body, more fat

Sources: Texas A&M AgriLife; domestic-pig column is general description.

A few more features apply to all wild types:

Tusks. Males of all three wild types have four tusks that never stop growing. They can reach about 5 inches before they break or wear down, and the upper tusks act as whetstones that keep the lower ones sharp.
The shield. Older boars grow a pad of tough skin, cartilage and scar tissue over the shoulders, up to 2 inches thick, from fighting.
"Razorback." Some feral hogs grow a crest of hair along the neck and back that they raise when angry. That is where the nickname comes from.
Stripes. Piglets of all wild types can be striped; the stripes fade as they grow. Striping is rare in domestic piglets.

All four points come from Texas A&M AgriLife.

How big do they get?

Texas A&M puts the average feral boar at about 130 lb (59 kg) and the average sow at about 110 lb (50 kg). The largest adults can top 400 lb (180 kg) and stand more than 3 feet tall (Texas A&M AgriLife). USDA APHIS gives a typical range of 75 to 250 lb (34–113 kg) (USDA APHIS). Hogs far above those averages exist, but they are the exception.

Why looks are not proof

Because hybrids can take after either parent, you cannot reliably tell a Eurasian boar from a hybrid by eye. A black, long-snouted, bristly hog in Texas is almost certainly a feral hog or hybrid, whatever it is called on the hunting lease.

How they got to the United States

1500s: Spanish explorers. Pigs reached the continental US in 1539, when Hernando de Soto landed in Florida. Explorers left pigs behind, and those became the first feral populations (TPWD).
1680s onward: settlers' free-range hogs. Hogs have been in Texas since the 1680s. Settlers let them roam, and when war or hard times made families abandon their land, many hogs went wild (Texas A&M AgriLife).
1900s: Eurasian boar for sport. Eurasian wild boar were imported and released as a game animal beginning in the early 1900s (TPWD). Texas ranchers and sportsmen released them in the 1930s; many escaped and bred with feral hogs, and Texas A&M says few, if any, pure Eurasian boar remain in the state (Texas A&M AgriLife).
Today: still spreading. Over the centuries domestic pigs, Eurasian boar and their hybrids have escaped, been released and been reintroduced (USDA APHIS). Moving wild pigs for release is illegal in Texas (TPWD).

Texas A&M's Natural Resources Institute estimates about 2.6 million feral hogs in Texas (Texas A&M NRI).

Javelina is not a pig

The javelina, or collared peccary, looks a bit like a small wild hog but belongs to a different family, Tayassuidae. It is native to the Southwest. Adults weigh about 13–25 kg (29–55 lb), have a whitish collar across the shoulders, a musk gland on the rump, straight dagger-like tusks and three toes on the hind feet. They rarely root the way pigs do, and they feed largely on prickly pear and other plants (Texas Tech, Mammals of Texas). Javelina are a game animal in Texas with their own seasons and limits — check Texas Parks and Wildlife before hunting them. We do not buy or process javelina.

What it means for the meat

For eating, the label matters less than the life the animal led and how it was handled.

All wild types are lean. Whether a hog is mostly Eurasian or mostly feral, a free-living pig carries far less fat than a farm pig. Expect darker, firmer meat with a deeper pork flavor.
Sold meat must be inspected alive. In the US, feral hogs sold as meat for people must be inspected alive before slaughter (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2021). Ours are live-trapped Texas feral hogs — see how we source and process.
Cook it like wild game. Wild pigs of every type can carry parasites and disease, so cook all cuts to at least 160°F (71°C). Our guide can you eat wild boar explains why.

If you are curious what wild boar tastes like next to farm pork, the easiest test is a pack of ground wild boar or a sampler box.

Sources

Is a wild boar the same as a feral hog?

Biologically, yes — both are Sus scrofa and they interbreed freely. Strictly, a Eurasian wild boar descends from wild Old World stock, while a feral hog descends from domestic pigs that went wild. In Texas, most wild pigs are feral hogs or hybrids of the two.

What is a Russian boar?

"Russian boar" is a popular name for the Eurasian wild boar. Ranchers and sportsmen released them in Texas for hunting in the 1930s. They bred with feral hogs, and Texas A&M says few, if any, pure Eurasian boar remain in the state.

Is a javelina a wild pig?

No. The javelina, or collared peccary, is a native animal from a different family, Tayassuidae. It is much smaller than a feral hog, and in Texas it is a game animal with its own rules.

Does a boar taste different from a sow?

Handling matters more than the name on the label: a clean, quickly chilled carcass gives clean-tasting meat. All the wild boar meat we sell comes from live-trapped Texas feral hogs, inspected alive before slaughter and again after.