Wildlife has an incredible ability to surprise us.
And every once in a while, an animal comes along that makes you stop and take a second look.
This is one of those animals.
A Texas hunter recently killed an enormous free-ranging boar in Southeast Texas that weighed 725.8 pounds on a scale.
Watch the video below.
The black-and-white hog is so large—and has such unusual coloration—that some people seeing the photographs for the first time may wonder exactly what they’re looking at.
There’s some interesting wildlife biology behind that coloration.
According to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, feral hogs can display a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be black, brown, red, white, spotted or “belted.” AgriLife specifically notes that belted feral hogs can be black or brownish-red with a white band across the shoulders and forelimbs.
In other words, the dramatic black-and-white appearance of this animal is not something outside the documented color patterns of feral hogs.
I’ve encountered free-ranging hogs with similar coloration myself, although nothing approaching this animal’s tremendous size.
Texas A&M AgriLife also notes that the original breed and nutrition during development can influence a feral hog’s size and coloration. Texas’ feral hog history is complicated, with Eurasian wild boars introduced for hunting eventually breeding with free-ranging feral hogs already on the landscape.
That makes these animals an interesting study in adaptation, genetics and just how dramatically animals can vary within a population.
I’ve covered wildlife for decades, and this is the largest free-ranging feral hog I have personally seen documented on a scale.
That’s worth taking a closer look at.
I put together a new video examining this incredible Texas hog, including photographs, video and the story behind the animal.
Wildlife never stops surprising us.
Chester Moore
Higher Calling Wildlife
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