All statements in this article are based on reliable information, and the sources are detailed at the end of the article
Preface
In 2014, in a remote mountain village in Hubei Province, something happened that made many people feel quite strange.
A domestic pig raised by people since he was a child actually ran into the forest to live for several months.
And he ended up bringing back 13 piglets.
But these little pigs are very different from the domestic pigs raised in human homes, and there are six of them that look very strange.
1. The product of the crossbreeding of domestic pigs and wild boars
Of the 13 piglets brought back by the escaped sows, six were very different in appearance from domestic pigs.
For example, the color is darker and there are horns.
This means that these piglets are likely to be the offspring of a combination of escaped sows and wild boars in the forest.
And the fact that domestic pigs and wild boars are able to give birth to offspring is beyond many people's expectations.
Some people believe that domestic pigs and wild boars are two completely different species of pigs, and that they should not be able to produce offspring.
But since there is a combination of domestic pigs and wild boars, it means that the two pigs themselves are not reproductively isolated, they are exactly the same in nature.
So why is there such a big difference in the usual performance of domestic pigs and wild boars?
Second, domestic pigs and wild boars are very different
In most people's minds, domestic pigs and wild boars are two different species entirely.
The hair on the pigs is basically devoid of spines, and most domestic pigs are completely non-aggressive.
Domestic pigs are quite safe in the process of rearing, and there is no need to worry about these pigs harming people.
And most domestic pigs do not seem to have protruding tusks.
Wild boars, on the other hand. As a pig breed that has always lived in a jungle environment, wild boar is very aggressive.
There have also been many cases of people who travel or love to climb mountains, encounter wild boars in the woods, and then be attacked.
And wild boars tend to have a relatively hard mane on their backs. In a way, wild boars are almost covered in thorns.
For some humans who are relatively small and have no experience in dealing with wild animals, if they encounter a large male boar that is extremely aggressive in the wild, it may be life-threatening.
So why are domestic pigs and wild boars the same race, but so different?
This is mainly because the domestic pigs raised by humans today are produced by the domestication and genetic optimization of wild boars from generation to generation.
Pigs are a relatively large livestock with a large meat production. Human civilization has a very long history of raising pigs, and almost every ethnic group has the habit of raising pigs as meat food.
And in the long time, there are many people who want to breed pigs on a larger scale.
And to avoid the dangers of raising pigs, they began to genetically improve wild boars from generation to generation.
For example, the offspring of wild boars are specially left behind.
Then let these wild boar offspring, which have a gentle personality, reproduce from generation to generation, and even incorporate some genes of other pig breeds.
The result was the pigs we now see as white and fat, producing a lot of meat, and with little to no aggression.
Humans have been genetically improving various animals for a long time.
For example, there are so many dog breeds now, isn't it also directly related to the optimal breeding and genetic improvement of humans?
So although wild boars and domestic pigs are very different in character, they are indeed the same species.
The difference is that a pig breed is a pig breed that has been domesticated by humans and carefully selected and bred.
The other is a species that thrives in the natural environment.
The difference between the two species is very reasonable.
Although human pigs are raised for food, most pig farmers will try to provide enough food for the pigs they raise. So there is no need for pigs in captivity to be aggressive.
But wild boars in the wild often have to fight with various other animals for food. The lack of security is what makes these wild boars so aggressive.
3. Something similar can happen with any animal
In fact, animals that have been domesticated by humans since childhood and when humans have grown up will be very different from animals that grow in their natural environment.
For example, dogs and cats. Humans first domesticated dogs because they are very loyal animals and can help humans hunt.
But with the continuous development of science and technology and society, dogs have gradually become human pets.
The vast majority of people are now basically not able to work as before, and many hunting dogs, sheepdog type dogs, most likely have never even seen sheep.
It is simply impossible to expect them to perform traditional job functions.
In addition to dogs, there is another major pet cat of humans.
The cat is only a semi-domesticated animal, but the cat that actually grows up in the human family is very different from the cat in the wild.
Most cats raised by humans are largely incapable of self-survival. According to scientific statistics, if a domestic cat goes out to wander, the survival rate will not exceed 10% within half a year.
So in any species, they can be inherently aggressive.
But whether or not they will actually attack humans in the future depends on how humans raise them.
epilogue
Humans, as spirits of the earth, are almost masters of raising all kinds of animals.
In fact, many of the animals that we see now that ordinary people can come into contact with have actually undergone special genetic modification by humans, and the danger of these animals is very low.
Some of the beasts that are naturally bred in the zoo are almost exhausted of their aggressiveness.
Therefore, the influence of the living environment on the personality of animals is still obvious.
Information sources:
Anhui Satellite TV 2014-07-21 The sow estrus escaped into the mountains and retrieved 13 wild boar cubs after a few months
On July 12, 2014, the sows of the villagers in Yunxian County fled into the mountains for several months to retrieve 13 baby wild boars
China.com2014-07-21Sow estrus fled into the mountains and retrieved 13 wild boar cubs a few months later