Pictures can say a thousand words, but skulls can say more. This wild pig skull is actually really unique & tells a tale of a well lived pig. I’ve never seen teeth so worn down on a feral pig before, even more so such healthy teeth (besides the normal wear) - most pigs I ever stumble across have abscesses, missing or cracked teeth, etc. I found this pig still whole in a forest, it seemed she succumbed to natural causes. And yes, I said she. Just going by the slenderness of the skull I’m going to assume this was a sow. Now if you know how much feral pigs breed & their litter size, it’s crazy to think how many piglets this old girl would have birthed. Another super interesting pathology about her that tells me she was a tough fighter, is the healed bone around her snout- it looks to be from a dog, with teeth marks visible around her whole snout, & because the bone has started to heal, this says she lived to see another day. missing a couple of teeth but otherwise in amazing condition- fully macerated, degreased & whitened.
