Detalle de: A Genomic Perspective on Wild Boar Demography and Evolution

Pig-like species (Suidae) are found in many different parts of the world. This superfamily consists of at least 15 different extant species found in Africa, South America, Europe, and Asia (Table 34.1). Suid species in Eurasia exhibit a striking dichotomy in their distribution. While there are at least seven recognized suid species on Island South East Asia (ISEA), only two are found on the Eurasian mainland (Table 34.1). Even in these two species on the Eurasian mainland, the dichotomy could not have been starker: one species, the pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is confined to a relatively small region in the north of India and south of Nepal, where it relies on a rather special ecosystem, i.e. the grasslands near the southern foothills of the Himalayas. The pygmy hog was recently proposed to be reassigned to a separate genus relative to the genus Sus (Funk et al. 2007). On the other hand, Sus scrofa, the other Eurasian mainland species, can be found throughout this largest landmass on our planet, whenever woodlands or shrubs are present, and snow cover in winter is not too prolonged. Although wild boar certainly has a defined ecology, its wide range does exemplify the opportunistic nature of this species.