| Indian boar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Indian boar,Bandhavgarh National Park, India | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Suidae |
| Genus: | Sus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | S. s. cristatus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Sus scrofa cristatus Wagner, 1839 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Species synonymy
| |
TheIndian boar (Sus scrofa cristatus), also known as theMoupin pig,[2] is asubspecies ofwild boar native to India, Nepal, Myanmar, western Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The Indian boar differs from theCentral European Boar by its large mane which runs in a crest along its back from its head to lower body, larger, more sharply featured and straighter skull, its smaller, sharper ears and overall lighter build.[3] It is slightly taller and more sparsely haired than the European form, though its back bristles are much more developed.[2] The tail is also more tufted, and the cheeks hairier.[4] Adults measure from 84 to 91 cm (33 to 36 in) in shoulder height (with one specimen inWest Bengal having reached 97 cm (38 in)) and 152 cm (5 ft) in body length. Weight ranges from 91 to 136 kg (200 to 300 lb).[2]
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The animal has interacted with humans in the Indian Subcontinent since theUpper Paleolithic, with the oldest depiction being a cave painting inBhimbetaka rock shelters,[5] and it occasionally appears inHindu mythology. A story present in theBrahmanas says thatIndra killed an evil boar, who has stolen the treasure of theasuras, then giving its carcass toVishnu, who offers it as a sacrifice to the gods and goddesses and they eat it. In a story in theCharaka Samhita, a boar named Ermusha is anavatara ofBrahma and he raises the earth and sky from the primeval waters of the universe during creation and creates the universe. In theRamayana,Mahabharata and thePuranas, another boar,Varaha is anavatar of Vishnu that killsHiranyaksha and savesBhumi.[6]
Media related toSus scrofa cristatus at Wikimedia Commons