What do boars eat. Forest inhabitants: what they eat, where they live What animals eat what

Boars in the wild are large artiodactyl animals that live in forests. Therefore, when wondering what a wild boar eats, one should immediately focus on its habitat, because it is the forest guarantees food for the boars, which will be sufficient for the full physical development and duration of the population.

It should be noted that wild boars do not have specific power system because they are omnivores. Simply put, their diet includes almost everything that can be found in the forest in certain time years: these are acorns, and underground parts of plants, and small animals, and larvae, and even carrion. For the most part, wild boar prefers to get their food from the soil.

Nutritional features of wild boars

Since wild boars are omnivores, their diet is always directly dependent on their habitats and seasons. These animals feed on whatever they can get in their way. Moreover, the wild boar has an excellent memory, which allows him to always return to where he used to feed heartily.

In a word , a wild boar- this is an animal that can eat literally everything that it can find at a particular point in time in a certain area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe territory. However, the diet has its own some features, which depend on the following factors:

• from geographic habitat;
• from the time of year;
• on the way food is available;
• from the habitat of those animals and insects that can be potential food for wild boars;
• on which plants grow in the area in which wild boars live.

In the event that for some reason the animal does not have enough food in the habitat forests, he is forced to raid private fields and gardens that are nearby. Which, of course, often leads to their ruin. If such a situation occurs, and a herd of wild boars makes such raids to eat a hearty meal, then a good harvest no longer have to wait. This leads to the fact that the owners of farms are simply forced to shoot wild boars who are looking for food on their territory.

How is the diet of wild boars divided?

It is conditionally possible to divide the food of wild boars into four main groups.

1. Remains of carrion, worms, small rodents, frogs, birds and their eggs, snakes, larvae, mollusks and all kinds of insects.
2. Plants growing underground that can be eaten all year round: roots, bulbs, tubers and rhizomes.
3. Also, all year round, the wild boar can feed on acorns, chestnuts, nuts, various fruits, which are in abundance not only in summer and autumn, but also in winter under snow.
4. Land plants. For example , tree bark, shrub branches, shoots various plants(nettles, dandelions, etc.).

As you can see, the diet of wild animals varies significantly depending on the current season. After all, what you can eat in the summer can no longer always be found under a layer of snow in winter.

What does a wild boar eat in winter

This is the most difficult season for these animals, as there is practically nothing to eat. Summer and autumn abundance came to an end, which means that the search for food is difficult.

1. This season, animals are greatly helped by their instinct and keen sense of smell. Often in winter under snow or on its surface small animals jump like mice or birds that become food for the boar.
2. Never a wild boar will refuse to winter period from carrion, which helps on for a long time get rid of hunger.
3. Also, tree bark can be a good dinner for an animal. And when it is very tight with food, the animal is forced to eat branches of trees and bushes.
4. Thanks to its excellent memory, wild boars return to those trees that bore fruit in autumn and summer - tearing off the snow under them, you can often find nutritious fruits that can be eaten even in winter.
5. From under the snow, animals often extract wild horsetail, which contains a huge amount of carbohydrates.

Unfortunately, not all wild boars are able to endure hungry and harsh winters, so by spring their population becomes smaller.

What does a wild boar eat in the spring

Winter for wild boars is considered the most difficult period in the search for food.

What do wild boars eat in summer

Perhaps one of the best and most satisfying seasons for wild boars is summer. There is no shortage of food during this period - everything grows, everything bears fruit and is within easy reach.

1. The most delicious prey for wild boars are small animals, ranging from mice, frogs and hedgehogs, and ending with gaping hares.
2. In summer, at any time, you can eat the succulent rhizomes of various plants.
3. At the very height of the season, berries and fruits begin to ripen, which is one of the main sources of food to which the wild boar never forget the way.
4. Despite the abundance of food in summer period, wild boars do not disdain to visit agricultural farms at the time of grain crops ripening, which, undoubtedly, greatly harms farms.

What does a wild boar eat in autumn

Autumn abundance also pleases wild boars.

1. The best food for them during this period is any nuts and acorns, rich in useful elements - carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
2. By autumn, the fruits of various trees, for example, apples, ripen completely, so wild boars often include them in their diet.
3. Hearty, and most importantly - easy prey for the animal in the autumn period are small rodents.
4. Of course, without changing their traditions, wild animals do not bypass the gardens of summer residents and farms to feast on everything that grows on the plots, from the tops of various plants to their roots (cabbage, beets, tops, etc.).
5. In autumn, a lot of juicy corn grows on the fields, which also goes to the diet of wild boar.
6. Worms, larvae of various insects, which are abundant in autumn, go to the diet of animals.

Conclusion

wild boars are large enough animals that require a huge amount of calories, especially in the winter season, when energy costs increase significantly to maintain normal temperature body.

In the summer-autumn period, wild boars can often be found in raspberries. Therefore, lovers of picking berries in the forest need to be very careful, especially in the area where these animals can live. After all, they are very fond of eating berries and branches of raspberry bushes.

For most of his life, the wild boar is used to eating what grows on and under the ground (acorns, apples, rhizomes, ferns, grasses, etc.). However, in order to maintain its fat reserves, the wild boar must have in the diet not only vegetable, but also animal food, which significantly increases the supply of calories.

In rare situations, if the boar is too hungry, he is able to attack deer cubs or roe deer. Boars do not disdain hares, birds and snakes. If there is a reservoir nearby, then a wild boar can be caught fishing.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the wild boar is indeed an omnivore that can eat both plant and animal matter. animal food to maintain their livelihoods.

All animals are heterotrophs that is, they feed on organic matter. They cannot, like plants themselves, synthesize organic matter from organic matter. Of course, most of the organic substances that enter the body of an animal change in it with the help of biochemical reactions and become “native” to this type of animal. However, the animal must still absorb organic matter.

And although all animals are heterotrophs, there are a lot of ways to feed them, since animals are very different from each other. Some are simple, others are more complex. Some live in water, others on land. Each animal is adapted to eat "its own" food. The main thing is that the food is organic.

In each group of animals, various subgroups can be distinguished according to the type of nutrition. So herbivores can eat leaves, grass, seeds, flower nectar, etc. Carnivores can eat unicellular, insects, frogs, birds, mammals, dead animals. Each species of animal, in connection with its adaptation to the diet of certain living organisms, will have its own structural and behavioral features.

Usually herbivorous mammals digestive system more complex, since it is more difficult to digest plant foods. However, predatory mammals have more complex behavior, since it is not always easy to catch a victim. At the same time, it is necessary to track it down, hide, unexpectedly attack. At the same time, the prey has adaptations to run away from the predator and defend itself from it (for example, by uniting in herds). The teeth of herbivores and carnivores also differ. Herbivorous mammals have well developed incisors and molars. Predators have powerful fangs.

Although animals adapt to a particular type of food, there are also "generalists" among them - omnivores. Of the mammals, examples of such animals are the bear, great apes, human. Omnivorousness allows you not to depend on a particular type of food, and when it disappears, switch to another food. In other words, being omnivorous is a useful adaptation that provides a survival advantage.

Scavengers eat dead large animals. Among the carrion mammals, hyenas and vultures should be noted. They have their own adaptations for this type of food. For example, vultures have a long, almost bare neck. This allows you not to get dirty when butchering the carcass.

A variety of insect mouthparts has also evolved depending on their food. For some, it's piercing-sucking oral apparatus(mosquito), in others - cutting, in others - gnawing, etc.

Among animals there is also symbiosis ( mutually beneficial cohabitation). For example, hermit crab and sea anemone.

Among animals, saprophytes include insects and worms that usually live in the soil. They feed on dead plant parts, dead animals and their excrement. Saprophytes play an important role in the circulation of substances in nature, since decomposing organic matter, they return to external environment chemical elements in the form of minerals.

In the section on the question of how animals eat (report) given by the author Dayana toychieva the best answer is
Different animals eat differently.
All animals can be divided into two large groups, predators, and herbivores.
Carnivores are animals that eat the meat of other animals.
These include, wolf, fox, tiger, lion, cat, and many others.
Other large group are herbivores.
Herbivores eat not only grass, as the name implies, these are animals that eat plant foods.
Elk, deer, roe deer, hare, badger, hedgehog, and many others.
There are animals that, depending on the situation, eat various types food.
This is a bear, a wild boar, partly a fox, and other animals.
They are sometimes called omnivores.
Both of these groups are closely related.
And a small amount of grass and other plants eventually affects the number of predators.
If there is little grass, then there are few herbivores; if there are few herbivores, then there is little food for predators, and so on.
This system is called the food chain.
Although in a philosophical sense, it would be better to call it a ring.
Because a predator, when it dies, becomes fertilizer, and in the place of its last hibernation, grass grows better, which is eaten by a herbivore, which in turn is eaten by another predator.
And such a cycle in nature.
So do not believe the Buddhists, with their wheel of samsara, and countless rebirths.
It should be noted that the division into herbivores and predators is not characteristic only for animals, it is universal, and birds, fish, and reptiles can also be divided into these two groups.
This is how different animals eat.
Good luck to you and all the best.

To meet a wild boar in the forest is an unenviable situation, large animal With powerful fangs can scare a tourist, a mushroom picker and even a novice hunter. But if you do not twitch, the boar most likely will not notice the person, the eyesight of wild pigs is weak, but the sense of smell is excellently developed and, having sensed danger, the boar will leave on its own.

A wild pig, also known as a boar, is the oldest animal on the planet, 2.5 million years ago, wild boars already trampled our land. In the Neolithic era (about 9 thousand years BC), the first domestic pigs appeared - direct descendants of the boar, the existence of which began to depend on humans. But also wild pigs have retained their unique evolutionary line, today they are familiar, fairly numerous animals. The boar is a large animal, what wild boars feed on, growing up to truly giant size? What allows them to survive in the wild?

Who are the boars

The wild boar is a non-ruminant artiodactyl from the pig family. Boars belong to the genus Boar, which also includes their descendants - domestic pigs, closest relatives - bearded pigs and other mammals with a characteristic pig appearance.

Adult boars grow up to 175 cm in length, the height of males at the withers reaches 1 m, the females are smaller, their height is about 90 cm. The average weight of a wild pig is about 100 kg, but there are specimens weighing up to 150 and 200 kg. Within the territory of of Eastern Europe you can observe wild boars, whose weight reaches 275 kg, and in the Primorsky Territory and in the northeast of China there are wild boars - heavyweights, weighing up to 500 kg! A medium-sized boar needs from 3 to 6 kg of food per day, and the diet of a wild pig depends on the habitat.

Wild boar range

In ancient times, the range of the wild pig was much larger than today, but uncontrolled hunting has led to the extinction of animals in many areas of the planet. At the end of the 19th century, wild boars were completely exterminated in Libya. In 1912, the last wild boar died in the Giza Zoo, the largest zoological garden in Egypt, and although the animals were again brought from Hungary for resettlement, wild pigs again became victims of poachers.

In the same way, in the 18th - 19th century wild boars disappeared from a number of Scandinavian countries, from many regions of the former republics of the USSR, Japan and Great Britain. In the 60s of the last century, many countries began to revive the population of wild pigs, and despite the dramatic decline in the number of past years, today the range of the wild boar is the largest among relatives and one of the widest among all land mammals.

Boars live in Eurasia and North Africa, in Russia are found on most European territory except for the taiga regions and the coldest regions of the tundra. Boars are omnivores and their diet is extremely varied. But there are boars with a highly specialized diet: for example, wild boars of the island of Java are absolute vegetarians, they eat about 50 types of fruit trees. Wild pigs living in Kazakhstan and the Volga Delta, on the contrary, sit on a fish diet, using a large number of roach and carp.

A well-fed adult boar is rarely attacked even by wolves, tigers and leopards, so the main enemy of a wild pig is still a man. Wild boars are very attached to their feeding territories and hunters are well aware of this, so it is not difficult to track down and drive a wild boar, especially with dogs.

Where do boars live

The favorite habitats of wild boars are wet swampy forests, shrubs, and in Asia - reeds, from where animals are scared and hunted, chasing on horseback. Wild pigs are quite clumsy, but in case of danger they reach speeds of up to 40 km / h. In another case, an alarmed boar can throw itself into the water and, if necessary, swim a huge distance.

When the boars are safe, they are busy looking for food. Wild pigs are social animals, they live in herds consisting of several dozen females with piglets and young males. Herds of the European population in some cases reach hundreds of heads. Old boars keep to themselves and come to the herd only in mating season. Wild boars live sedentary and in search of food move only within the territory of the herd.

Snout, fangs and hooves - the tools of the "labor" of the boar

The basis of the diet of most wild pigs is plant foods, and what wild boars eat, they get from the forest floor. Powerful apron legs with strong hooves and a long snout, which ends in a hard cartilaginous formation - a patch, help animals dig the ground.

An important role in obtaining food is played by fangs sticking up, strongly developed in males. They also serve as protection for the boar: with their sharp fangs, the boar inflicts serious lacerations on inexperienced hunters. Females that do not have such a formidable weapon knock the offenders off their feet and violently beat with powerful hooves, especially when it comes to protecting offspring.

Loosening large tracts of land by wild boars brings great benefits to the forest. By digging up the tubers and rhizomes of plants, wild pigs plant the seeds of trees in the soil, and along the way they eat the larvae of insect pests, such as the cockchafer and pine moth.

In wild boars living in regions with a pronounced change of seasons, the diet varies greatly depending on the season.

What do wild boars eat in summer

It is very rare to meet a boar on a fine summer day. Animals with thick bristly skin are extremely sensitive to temperature changes and to maintain thermoregulation, wild boars often wallow in the mud. This is by no means a bad habit, but a way to maintain a certain body temperature and protect yourself from sunburn and insect bites.

In summer, wild boars dig wide pits up to 40 cm deep, where they rest during the day as a whole herd, and at dusk they go out for swimming, taking mud baths and looking for food.

The basis of the wild boar's summer diet is tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, shoots and leaves of plants. Interestingly, wild pigs eat underground and aboveground parts. poisonous plants without harm to health and are not afraid snake venom. Same rare feature 3 more species of animals possess: representatives of the mongoose family, honey badgers and real hedgehogs.

Often insects and their larvae become the prey of the wild boar, earthworms, small rodents, hedgehogs, frogs and lizards. Wild pigs do not disdain carrion, moreover, at any time of the year. As the crop matures, the diet of the wild boar also changes.

What do wild boars eat in autumn

In harvest years, nuts and acorns become the main autumn delicacy of wild boars - a hearty food rich in proteins and fats. Ripe ears of wheat, other grain crops and corn are eaten with pleasure by wild boars on agricultural land, in some places causing irreparable damage to the crop.

In autumn, in places with a high number of wild boars, fruit and vegetable plantations, both public and private, are especially affected. A small family of wild boars can devastate plantings of turnips, potatoes, other root crops and leafy vegetables overnight, leaving behind empty beds. Although purely human boars can be understood, because animals are preparing for a long winter, moreover born in spring piglets should become well-fed before the onset of cold weather.

What do wild boars eat in winter

Boar females bring offspring once a year, in a litter there are from 4 to 12 cubs, which the mother feeds with milk for 3.5 months. A newborn piglet weighs from 650 to 1650 g, and by autumn, due to increased nutrition, it gains weight up to 20-30 kg, and if it does not become prey to a predator, it will definitely survive the winter.

The underground parts of plants still remain in the winter diet of a wild pig: an adult boar is able to dig frozen ground to a depth of 17 cm. Boars have an excellent memory and they return to oak and walnut groves in search of fruits covered with snow. Along the banks of the swamps, animals look for frozen horsetail in the snow, rich in carbohydrates and sugars.

Often the food of wild boars is the remnants of the meal of predators; in the years of starvation, wild pigs are content with shoots and tree bark. A meager diet is not able to satisfy hunger, and then wild boars become dangerous for other inhabitants of the forest, attacking hares and small rodents. A hungry boar preys even on large animals - wild goats, fallow deer and deer, but only on young, wounded or weak ones.

In places with a low number of wild boars, huntsmen feed them, leaving briquettes of bone meal, cake and root crops in the forest.

Not all wild boars survive until spring, unfortunately, hunting and winter fasting greatly reduce the number of wild pigs in some regions. In addition, from November to January, wild boars go into rut with fierce fights between males, and wounded animals rarely survive.

What do wild boars eat in spring

With the advent of spring, emaciated animals, especially pregnant females, are happy with any available food: awakened insects and their larvae, rodents that have appeared on the surface, sprouted acorns and plant rhizomes that can be dug up from a considerable depth.

Buds begin to bloom, fresh grass breaks through and the wild boars gradually begin to gain weight, the females are preparing for childbirth. In the middle of spring, eggs and chicks of birds nesting on the ground become a special delicacy for the wild boar. Summer is coming, and with it the fertile time for hearty night meals.

With a good combination of circumstances, wild boars live for about 14 years, and in captivity and protected areas wild pigs can live up to 20 years.

Video about wild boars

Wild boars and piglets in the city A family of wild boars with a brood wandered into the Polish city of Krynica Morska. They feel confident, as if they live here.

The natural world is extremely diverse. Each species is adapted to live in special conditions. You can find the lifestyle features of some animals in the section of our website. And in this article we will look at what animals eat.

Wild animals

Wild animals include all kinds of animals for which natural environment habitat is considered wildlife. Within this concept, animals can be classified according to various criteria. Each species has its own characteristics. You can find out about some of them in the section of our website.

As for food, most wild animals eat differently, depending on the time of year. So, for example, many mountain animals in the summer they feed on grass from the meadows. In winter, representatives of these species have to descend from rocky peaks into mountain forests. There they can feed on leaves, twigs and moss.

Many wild animals hibernate in winter. For example, bears in large quantities eat food (mainly plant origin) in summer and autumn. They eat berries, tubers, bulbs, mushrooms, nuts, acorns, less often - insects and honey. With a decrease in air temperature, the bear finds a place for a den. Until spring, he sleeps, spending the accumulated fat. The exception will be polar bear. It is by nature a predator and does not hibernate.

There are other animals whose sleep saves them from lack of food. For example, the bats and groundhogs can sleep for about 6-8 months. Squirrels can also go to sleep in their nests, but only on the coldest days. For the rest winter time they feed on supplies collected during the summer and autumn. Basically, squirrels feed on various types of nuts, seeds, cones, berries and some fruits.

Hares in the summer love to eat grass. In the cold season, when herbs are not widely available, they may well feed on tree bark, thin twigs, seeds, berries, and young shoots of plants. Scientists note that among the hares there are also those who can catch field mice and eat other available meat.

Foxes and wolves are typical predators. Throughout the year, they track and catch prey among smaller and weaker animals. Foxes feed on rodents, birds, sometimes herbs, berries and roots. Wolves, on the other hand, prey on larger representatives of the animal world such as moose, deer, wild boars, roe deer, and antelopes.

Pets

Pets are animals that have been domesticated by humans. A person keeps them near his home or directly in it, providing food and water. Most representatives of these species are designed to benefit people or brighten up their leisure. The first category includes farm animals such as cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, etc. They are raised specifically for the procurement of meat, fur, milk, etc. The second category includes animals such as: dogs, cats, hamsters , parrots, etc.

The diet of pets is less subject to changes depending on the time of year. This is due to the fact that pets do not have to get food on their own. All the necessary food is given to the animals by a person on his own.

Most often, special balanced feeds are produced in developed countries. Farm animals are fed. For animals that live with humans, a whole series of feeds are being developed. Nutrition should meet all the needs of the animal's body. So, for example, food for cats whose descendants are predators, in without fail must contain meat. But this is far from the only component.

The largest feed manufacturers are ready to offer pet owners even special therapeutic feeds that are aimed at maintaining certain organs and systems. For example, food has already been developed for cats:

• to ease the adjustment period stressful situations;
• for oral hygiene;
• at diabetes;
• with digestive disorders;
• with liver diseases;
• with food allergies;
• with obesity;
• with chronic kidney failure;
• at urolithiasis and etc.