In this month of October, our expert in fauna and flora, Manuel Mayor Rabasa, El Beato, has chosen the wild boar. It is one of the mammals that can be found in greater numbers on Puig Campana and, although it is not easy to see them, since they come out especially at night, precisely to avoid risks, their presence is known because they leave the mark of their peculiar footprint on the ground.

Boar, Sus scrofa. In Valencian, porc senglar

I am a mammal, ancestor of the domestic pig.

I have a large repertoire of names, as I am called wild boar and, when I am an adult, boar. To my partner, javelin and to our offspring, wild boars, rayones, reds...

I'll start by talking about my appearance:

I'm stubborn and my head is long. It ends in a snout or snout, it is also called jeta, which is long, narrow and hard as steel, with which I remove the earth and move the stones in search of food, always with the invaluable help of my powerful, sharp and visible fangs, commonly called "razors".

My eyes are small and blackish. Sight is my "Achilles' heel", what are you going to do to it!

My neck is thick, short and has little mobility.

My legs are short, blackish and very strong. My feet are thin and have four toes, two of them with hoofs, and the other two, which are the hind ones, without them and higher, forming my peculiar footprint.

I have a short ponytail, which ends in a tassel of hair.

The ears are large, erect and hairy. I have a keen ear.

My body is robust and chubby. It is covered with hairs, called bristles, which are long, stiff, thick, and bristle at the mane, that is, at the back, when I get angry or excited. The color of my coat ranges from brownish to grayish or blackish. That of my offspring, I will comment on it in due course. I usually "visit the barber" during spring or early summer, to be able to better withstand the rigors of summer.

Let's talk about my strong point, which is my fine sense of smell. It allows me to locate my food, which is roots, invertebrates, bulbs, eggs of hens (partridges), mice, rabbits, berries and nuts. I especially like almonds and acorns, which are my favorite delicacy. I have a very varied diet, since I eat everything. I am insatiable.

My great sense of smell also allows me to locate my worst enemy, which is the human being, at a distance of about 100 meters, approximately, hence the saying: "A hunter who shoots and does not pursue, achieves little or nothing". I take this opportunity to talk about the wolf, another of my great enemies. Those of my offspring are the golden eagle and the lynx, both in danger of disappearing, or almost, which has allowed me to significantly increase my population.

As for my weight, I have to tell you that I usually oscillate between 70 and 90 kg. My partner weighs about half. Although we spend the days sleeping and eating, we stay in top shape, since we travel daily, at a light jog, more than 10 km., preferably at night, which is when we feel safer.

I am astute, elusive, not very territorial, and very intelligent, hence the saying that "Where is there wild boar, no rabbit, no partridge".

We move in herds of 3, 5, or even 20 animals, composed of two or more females, one of them being dominant, either because of its size or its age. They are accompanied by their young and, sometimes, by an old male. On the other hand, you will also find herds of young males, protected by other older specimens. We adults are generally lonely.

We usually hide in places with high vegetation, so that we can camouflage ourselves. We always do it sheltered from the wind and near ponds, streams and wadis, to be able to quench the thirst caused by the intake of nuts, and, of course, to roll in the mud.

I constantly make two types of sounds: grunts and whistles.

I am shy, however, when I feel hurt or cornered, I transform into a fierce and very dangerous animal.

If we talk about my hygiene, I have to say that I love "mud baths"; which in addition to enjoying them, perform important functions in our body:

• They regulate our body temperature, as the water is colder. Having atrophied sweat glands does not allow us to sweat and therefore reduce our body temperature.
• They eliminate parasites.
• They cure skin infections.

These baths are usually accompanied by a scratching of our body, using the rocks and the trunks of the trees.

Our life expectancy is 12 to 15 years, although when spring is very dry and food is scarce, our young weaken and there is a great mortality among them.

I'm finishing, I don't want to bore you.

During the mating period, which is from November to December, I gather with the herds, looking for females, and completely neglect my feeding. I sniff them out to see if they are receptive, I don't hesitate to expel their offspring from the previous year and I compete with other competitors to conquer them.

Females reach maturity in the first year or two of life.

Once pregnant, they themselves build a kind of bed or farrowing place, with grasses, branches and leaf litter. Always look for places that are sunny and close to ponds or ponds. Gestation lasts about 4 months. Births take place between February and April, hence the adage "In April, wild boars a thousand". The number of offspring ranges from 4 to 12, and two litters can be produced throughout the year, as long as food is abundant. The young remain bedridden for the first week. To the second, they follow the mother, feeding on her milk and solid food, among others, small invertebrates, roots, bulbs, which they find thanks to the fact that she opens the ground. Breastfeeding ends in the second or third month of life.

The offspring are born with longitudinal stripes on both sides of the body, cream-colored, that's why they are called scratches, which allows them to camouflage themselves with the vegetation. I leave you with several sayings about it: "If you have a real hobby, don't even aim for a scratch" or "To mothers and scratches, nor with arrows or cannons." Very young, at 2 months, they begin their games and fights, in order to establish, as soon as possible, a hierarchy. After 6 months, their body acquires a reddish-brown color, and they are called reddish. By the time they reach one year, they are already adults and their fur is brownish, grayish, or blackish.

Admired by some, and reviled by others!, that is what we wild boars are.