Carnivorous boars?

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Carnivorous boars?
Topic Started: Aug 5 2017, 06:04 AM (1,132 Views)
Gojiratheking106	Aug 5 2017, 06:04 AM Post #1
Newborn Posts: 33 Group: Members Member #2,183 Joined: Jun 30, 2017 Gender: Male Nationality: Spanish	This is a question that appeared today in my mind. I remember talking with my grandmother about how in her village little kids couldn't get close to the pigs because of the danger of being killed and maybe even eaten. I researched a bit and it seems like there have been various cases of wild boars killing and eating small animals, including cattle. With the dissappearence of big predators like wolves or bears in western Europe, could it be possible for boars to evolve into predatory animals?

Replies:
Jaxuar	Aug 12 2017, 07:50 PM Post #16
Fetus Posts: 26 Group: Members Member #2,044 Joined: Jan 4, 2017 Gender: Male	They don't seem to have adaptions to hunt large-medium sized prey. They are ungulates so their bodies are too rigid to be capable of using ambush and their tusks makes it hard to hold a grip when chasing down animals. Several boars can also die from malnutrition as their digestive system cannot fully rely purely on meat and most large predator's succeeding rate of hunting is low which is bad for wild boars as they live in large herds and reproduce fairly quickly. I do think they can become carnivores but its not very beneficial for wild boars just because its possible. They are not carnivores, but it does not mean they are defenceless against large carnivorans so in my opinion they would survive just fine in a environment with large predators even though its not in the top of the food chain. Edited by Jaxuar, Aug 12 2017, 07:59 PM.



kusanagi	Aug 13 2017, 06:59 AM Post #17
Adolescent Posts: 476 Group: Members Member #2,205 Joined: Jul 20, 2017 Gender: Female	Tetraconodonts had teeth like those of entelodonts but those canines pointing upwards might be a constraint for a carnivore. Peccaries instead?



Dakka!	Aug 13 2017, 07:28 AM Post #18
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,431 Group: Members Member #1,999 Joined: Oct 11, 2016 Gender: Male Nationality: Specitizen Favorite Quote: The Turtle Moves! Also known as: Finderskeepers, Ad infinitum, Waffles Gender: Oh wait I just realised what this is for:Heterosexual then	Boars will never reach hypercarnivore level. I just cannot see any hoofed mammal ever becoming fully predatory ever. Hooves are bad for predatary lifestyles. Entelodonts for example, scavenged as a large part of their diet. The only way they were able to hunt was because of their massive oversized heads that enabled them to grab the prey in their equally oversized jaws. Efficiency wise, that can never compete with carnivoran claws. What do I know though. I want rodents to become apex predators. They'd do a much better job of it since their teeth grow permanently.
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kusanagi	Aug 13 2017, 07:30 AM Post #19
Adolescent Posts: 476 Group: Members Member #2,205 Joined: Jul 20, 2017 Gender: Female	Look at Hydromys and Onychomys: also at thylacoleonids and preleopine kangaroos, to see where such a path would lead. Some multituberculates have been described or interpreted by Bakker and others as raptorial also. Some American ground squirrels take larger prey than most people recognise: close to becoming mongoose or polecat analogs? The only polecat in North America is a specialist predator of prairie dogs so there is a hole waiting there. Edited by kusanagi, Aug 13 2017, 07:35 AM.



Dragonthunders	Aug 13 2017, 02:47 PM Post #20
The ethereal archosaur in blue Posts: 3,039 Group: Global Mods Member #690 Joined: Jan 22, 2012 Gender: Male Nationality: Salvadoran Favorite Quote: "There is only one war that can afford the human being: the war against their extinction" Isaac Asimov Also known as: DT, thunders Gender: still male	Quote: Boars will never reach hypercarnivore level. I just cannot see any hoofed mammal ever becoming fully predatory ever. Hooves are bad for predatary lifestyles. Entelodonts for example, scavenged as a large part of their diet. The only way they were able to hunt was because of their massive oversized heads that enabled them to grab the prey in their equally oversized jaws. Efficiency wise, that can never compete with carnivoran claws. I see this logic senseless considering that not all carnivorans use their claws for hunting, canids, hyenas and pinnipeds predominantly use the jaw to hunt, so no, the efficiency is more than the claws. I also do not see how hooves could be an impediment, they can vary in shape and be modified depending on the lifestyle and even one of them become a "spur", or simply would not intervene in anything in the way of killing, this hypotetical macropredatory boar could just evolve a massive head with a dentition suitable for a diet more carnivorous and develop a specific form of hunting for such animal.
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Yiqi15	Aug 13 2017, 03:49 PM Post #21
Prime Specimen Posts: 1,443 Group: Members Member #1,998 Joined: Oct 10, 2016 Gender: Male Nationality: Ontarian Gender: Male	Alternatively hooves could remain flat and be designed to cause blunt trauma and break through body armour.
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Fazaner	Aug 13 2017, 06:12 PM Post #22
Шашава птичурина Posts: 413 Group: Members Member #2,016 Joined: Nov 13, 2016 Gender: Male Area of expertise: Future Evolution Nationality: Serbian Favorite Quote: Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein Also known as: As long as I'm not offended, call me whatever you want	Dragonthunders Aug 13 2017, 02:47 PM Quote: Boars will never reach hypercarnivore level. I just cannot see any hoofed mammal ever becoming fully predatory ever. Hooves are bad for predatary lifestyles. Entelodonts for example, scavenged as a large part of their diet. The only way they were able to hunt was because of their massive oversized heads that enabled them to grab the prey in their equally oversized jaws. Efficiency wise, that can never compete with carnivoran claws. I see this logic senseless considering that not all carnivorans use their claws for hunting, canids, hyenas and pinnipeds predominantly use the jaw to hunt, so no, the efficiency is more than the claws. I also do not see how hooves could be an impediment, they can vary in shape and be modified depending on the lifestyle and even one of them become a "spur", or simply would not intervene in anything in the way of killing, this hypotetical macropredatory boar could just evolve a massive head with a dentition suitable for a diet more carnivorous and develop a specific form of hunting for such animal. That is actually similar to one boar descendant from my project, it is basically a very fast battering ram that uses it's speed and bulk to hit and destabilize pray, and if it goes down finish it with killer bite. And oversized jaws can be effective hunting tool, let this guy explain it to you.
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