Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) include both feral (domestic animals that have escaped captivity) hogs and what people commonly refer to as “wild boar,” a native to Eurasia but introduced to North America to interbreed with feral hogs. Feral hogs include first-generation escapees as well as all subsequent production, which comprises the overwhelming bulk of the U.S. free-ranging hog population. Together, they can all be lumped into the category of “feral hogs.” Like domestic hogs, feral hogs may be any color. Their size and conformation depend on the breed, degree of hybridization with wild boar, and level of nutrition during their growing period. More often that not, feral hogs tend to be brown, black, or a variation or combination of both. Continue reading Feral Hogs in the United States – I.D.
Author: WM Pro
Preventing a Grizzly Bear Attack
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Grizzly (brown) bears must be respected first and foremost. They have great strength and agility, and will defend themselves, their young, and their territories if they feel threatened. Grizzly bears, like any wildl animal, are unpredictable and can inflict serious injury. Remember, never feed or approach a bear. Continue reading Preventing a Grizzly Bear Attack
Grizzly Bear Habitat
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Grizzly (brown) bear habitat is considerably varied. Brown bears may occupy areas of 100 to 150 square miles and range from desert and prairie to forest and alpine extremes. The areas must provide enough food during the 5 to 7 months in which they feed to meet their protein, energy, and other nutritional requirements for reproduction, breeding, and denning. Grizzly bears often travel long distances to reach seasonally abundant food sources such as salmon streams, burned areas with large berry crops, and lush lowlands. Continue reading Grizzly Bear Habitat
Feral Hog Habitat
Feral hogs can inhabit a variety of habitats, from coastal marshes to rough-country mountain ranges. These wild hogs prefer cover of dense brush or marsh vegetation, but will venture out into open fields under the cover of darkness. Hogs are generally restricted to areas below snowline and above freezing temperatures during the winter. Continue reading Feral Hog Habitat
Identification of the Grizzly Bear
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The brown bears of the world include numerous subspecies in Asia, Europe, and North America. Even the polar bear, taxonomically, may be a white phase of the brown bear. Support for this concept is provided by new electrophoresic studies and the fact that offspring of brown/polar bear crosses are fertile. The interior grizzly (Ursus arctos horribilis) is generally smaller than the coastal (Ursus arctos gyas) or island (Ursus arctos middendorffi) subspecies of North American brown bear, and it has the classic “grizzled†hair tips. Continue reading Identification of the Grizzly Bear
Badger Biology and Behavior
Badgers are members of the weasel family and have the musky odor characteristic of this family. They are especially adapted for burrowing, with strong front legs equipped with long, well-developed claws. Their digging capability is used to pursue and capture ground-dwelling prey. Typical burrows dug in pursuit of prey are shallow and about 1 foot (30 cm) in diameter. A female badger will dig a deeper burrow (5 to 30 feet long [1.5 to 9 m]) with an enlarged chamber 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 m) below the surface in which to give birth. Dens usually have a single, often elliptical entrance, typically marked by a mound of soil in the front. Continue reading Badger Biology and Behavior
Food Habits of Badgers
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Badgers are opportunists, preying on ground-nesting birds and their eggs, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Common dietary items are ground squirrels, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, and other smaller rodents. Occasionally they eat vegetable matter. Metabolism studies indicate that an average badger must eat about two ground squirrels or pocket gophers daily to maintain its weight. Badgers may occasionally kill small lambs and young domestic turkeys, parts of which they often will bury.