# Are hogs really so aggresively predacious as portrayed in some recent-ish movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693 "2019-01-13T18:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/21 "2019-01-14T05:37:02Z")
I wouldn’t assume any hogs you see in the wild are original wild boar. In the US, they almost certainly aren’t. They’re mostly feral pigs, which are domestic pigs that have been reintroduced into the wild (either recently in the last few decades or when people first got to the Americas). They generally aren’t violent towards humans, but they can be very aggressive under the right circumstances, like being hunted and harried by dogs and people. I wouldn’t count on it being the result of breeding for docility, either. They were bred for food, not for behavior. A page from [Texas A&M](https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/). ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/22 "2019-01-14T05:53:08Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I wouldn’t assume any hogs you see in the wild are original wild boar. In the US, they almost certainly aren’t. They’re mostly feral pigs, which are domestic pigs that have been reintroduced into the wild (either recently in the last few decades or when people first got to the Americas). They generally aren’t violent towards humans, but they can be very aggressive under the right circumstances, like being hunted and harried by dogs and people. I wouldn’t count on it being the result of breeding for docility, either. They were bred for food, not for behavior. > > A page from [Texas A&M](https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/). They’re the exact same animal, Sus scrofa. The true wild pigs are Eurasian, so the ones in the US are likely accidental or intentional escapees. Yet there seems to be some atavism, cute domestic pig stock will grow tusks and hair. Though in most cases they are considered invasive, in Hawaii they’ve been there as long as native Hawaiians have been. I don’t know a good justification for eradication there. The US has native piglike creatures, the javelinas and peccaries. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/23 "2019-01-14T13:27:14Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The US has native piglike creatures, the javelinas and peccaries. I’ve heard that peccary is a little pig with a white color that hangs around between Texas and Paraguay, sometimes ranging as far west as Catalina. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/24 "2019-01-14T15:14:32Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Though in most cases they are considered invasive, in Hawaii they’ve been there as long as native Hawaiians have been. I don’t know a good justification for eradication there. If you could see my back yard, you’d know one. Over the past few years the population on the Big Island has gotten completely out of control - I’ve counted as many as 8 at a time running around my property, whereas in the early 2000s I never saw any. It’s impossible to have a garden because they’ll eat everything. They’ve completely snouted up the back yard looking for grubs - in the space of a few weeks it went from a lush green area to just dirt. They’re a menace. I’ve not ever felt threatened for my personal safety, but that probably says more about my ignorance than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/25 "2019-01-14T16:55:50Z")
Fans of HBO’s Deadwood, will remember Woo’s pig sty, where the dead were taken to be disposed of. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/26 "2019-01-14T18:15:18Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I’ve heard that peccary is a little pig with a white color that hangs around between Texas and Paraguay, sometimes ranging as far west as Catalina. Catalina, Catalina. I hear that they’re gregarious as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/27 "2019-01-14T18:22:01Z")
[Scariest pig movie scene?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdX69cWtu6w) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/28 "2019-01-14T18:48:16Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Fans of HBO’s Deadwood, will remember Woo’s pig sty, where the dead were taken to be disposed of. I’ve never watched the show but I did read post #11 in this thread so I do remember. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/29 "2019-01-14T19:04:00Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > I wouldn’t assume any hogs you see in the wild are original wild boar. In the US, they almost certainly aren’t. They’re mostly feral pigs, which are domestic pigs that have been reintroduced into the wild (either recently in the last few decades or when people first got to the Americas). They generally aren’t violent towards humans, but they can be very aggressive under the right circumstances, like being hunted and harried by dogs and people. I wouldn’t count on it being the result of breeding for docility, either. They were bred for food, not for behavior. > > A page from [Texas A&M](https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-wild-pigs/). When you are breeding animals to live in confined quarters that need to be controlled and slaughtered, wouldn’t breeding them for docility be expected? Aggressive pigs will kill each other, try to escape and attack the farmer. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/30 "2019-01-14T19:06:37Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I’ve heard that peccary is a little pig with a white color that hangs around between Texas and Paraguay, sometimes ranging as far west as Catalina. What is Catalina, in Arizona? They’re a _stinky_ pig. Javelina is the normal name in that part of the world (Spanish: more like havalina). That species is the collared peccary, but there are more species south. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > If you could see my back yard, you’d know one. Over the past few years the population on the Big Island has gotten completely out of control - I’ve counted as many as 8 at a time running around my property, whereas in the early 2000s I never saw any. It’s impossible to have a garden because they’ll eat everything. They’ve completely snouted up the back yard looking for grubs - in the space of a few weeks it went from a lush green area to just dirt. > > They’re a menace. I’ve not ever felt threatened for my personal safety, but that probably says more about my ignorance than anything else. No doubt. The big issue is that they are as native as native Hawaiians. But most of the complaint is due to the environmental and financial damage they do. Nobody wants to eliminate imports from [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_pheasant)or the [Middle East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar_partridge). ---
**Author:** ![Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reindeer_flotilla/32/3024_2.png) [@Reindeer\_Flotilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reindeer_Flotilla)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/31 "2019-01-15T20:31:07Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > > > Fans of HBO’s Deadwood, will remember Woo’s pig sty, where the dead were taken to be disposed of. > > I’ve never watched the show but I did read post #11 in this thread so I do remember. 🙂 🙂 For a second there, I thought Wu in Deadwood had a truther or anti-vax pig sty on the side. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sasquatch\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@Sasquatch\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sasquatch_1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/32 "2019-01-16T01:07:51Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > When you are breeding animals to live in confined quarters that need to be controlled and slaughtered, wouldn’t breeding them for docility be expected? > > Aggressive pigs will kill each other, try to escape and attack the farmer. I have to agree, in as much as pigs with that level of aggression would be killed and not allowed to breed. That’s not quite the same as breeding specifically for docility, but the end result is partway there. End directed breeding never really gets into the whys of results though. Like breeding for large size, sometimes you get big muscles due to myostatin mutation, but it could be a lot of domestic animals bred for size simply feel like they are starving regardless of how much they eat. Placid pigs maybe just have no ambition, ha. As long as they’re fed, why go anywhere or cause problems. Starving pigs might get more ambitious to procure food - and maybe a farmer is on a fine line between starving hungry = good for fat pigs, to really starving hungry = farmer looks like food. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/33 "2019-01-16T01:12:25Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > What is Catalina, in Arizona? They’re a _stinky_ pig. Javelina is the normal name in that part of the world (Spanish: more like havalina). That species is the collared peccary, but there are more species south. > > No doubt. The big issue is that they are as native as native Hawaiians. But most of the complaint is due to the environmental and financial damage they do. Nobody wants to eliminate imports from [China](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_pheasant)or the [Middle East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar_partridge). Catalina Island is a smallish island 26 miles off the coast from Los Angeles Harbor. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/34 "2019-01-16T02:36:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Catalina Island is a smallish island 26 miles off the coast from Los Angeles Harbor. Ah, that’s the only one I’ve heard of but Wikipedia told me there is an Arizona one. Today I learned… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/35 "2019-01-16T03:25:20Z")
There’s just so much you can breed out of a porker. The instinctive need to eat, to mate or to protect young are strong in farm animals. That’s why the farmer keeps the hogzilla male in a strong enclosure. Not only will he run you over he may kill. He will kill piglets and mate every sow in season. And run to the neighbors and cause havoc there. Boar hogs are not nice. ---
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/36 "2019-01-16T20:02:56Z")
There are many images on the web of people, mainly women, who have pigs as pets. Indoors too. > **[Indoor Pig Care](https://animals.mom.com/indoor-pig-care-2017.html)** > > Pigs are one of the smartest animals in the world. Because of their intelligence, they can be a joy to interact with, but are also challenging to keep entertained. Pigs can be trained to do many things, they're clean animals, and they don't shed,... ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/37 "2019-01-16T20:14:00Z")
back when this was a big thing 6 or 7 years ago nat geo had a series of specials on it and in one researchers found out that if you let it loose it only takes about 6-8 weeks for a farm pig to physically change into a boar when they let it loose When they recaught it took roughly the same amount of the time to turn back into a farm pig ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/38 "2019-01-16T20:17:57Z")
can you hunt them carol? feral pigs are one of the few things that you don’t need permits for and theres no limits usually im surprised the natives aren’t "pig sticking " like their ancestors …. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/39 "2019-01-16T20:31:51Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > can you hunt them carol? feral pigs are one of the few things that you don’t need permits for and theres no limits usually > > im surprised the natives aren’t "pig sticking " like their ancestors …. Depends on the state. Some states it’s open season. In California they’re tagged, you can still take as many as you want but have to get permission beforehand. In other states, especially those with no pigs or a tiny population, it is illegal to hunt them. The reasoning is that it will encourage intentionally released populations. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693/40 "2019-01-16T20:55:30Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > If you could see my back yard, you’d know one. Over the past few years the population on the Big Island has gotten completely out of control - I’ve counted as many as 8 at a time running around my property, whereas in the early 2000s I never saw any. It’s impossible to have a garden because they’ll eat everything. They’ve completely snouted up the back yard looking for grubs - in the space of a few weeks it went from a lush green area to just dirt. > > They’re a menace. I’ve not ever felt threatened for my personal safety, but that probably says more about my ignorance than anything else. Y’all don’t like bacon and carnitas over in Hawaii? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693.md?page=3)