Eurasian wild boar originated from islands of Southeast Asia, first spread to the Indian subcontinent, then expanded beyond East Asia, Eurasia, and even Western Europe. This species may thus be said to be large, widest-ranging wild mammal in the world.

The Formosan wild boar is an even-toed ungulate species that bear two main hooves with extra side toes (or dewclaws). It appears on the field research that footprints of wild boar usually register two hooves. Even in soft ground, the animal does not leave a dewclaw mark.

One piglet B Two to six piglets C More than ten piglets

Adult wild boar cannot stand the heat, whereas the young are afraid of cold. If the breeding season coincides with a rainy season, sows build nests to defend their offspring against cold. Such parental care is also a significant sign of measuring activities of boar.

To identify a boar footprint mainly depends on a round shape than a narrow and long imprint of others in the Artiodactyla family, along with tracks of digging, bites, defecation, and other signs.

Formosan wild boar is a very adaptable species, widely distributed in the mountains over an elevation of 3,000 meters in Taiwan, with a favorable area in mountainous regions below 1000 meters in elevation.

Wild boar’s prenasal bone, supporting the disk at the tip of snout, allows themselves to use their flat snout against the ground to sniff underground more than 10 meters. With such a great sense of smell, they can forage food by rooting.

On January 9th in 2019, eight protected species went unprotected by the Council of Agriculture in Executive Yuan: Reeves’ muntjac, Formosan macaque, Formosan masked civet, Latham's snipe, protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Taiwanese krait, Chinese cobra, and Diploderma brevipes.

The Formosan wild boar is an omnivorous animal that east a greater diversity of food, either from foraging on the ground or rooting. It will eat pretty much anything in sight. Even deadly elephant ear plant is among wild boar’s favorite food.

Recently, the spread of African swine fever has ravaged pig populations in several countries. If prevention measures are not taken, it will pose a great threat to Formosan wild boar.