Hogzilla - 800 LB Wild Boar: Real or Exaggerated?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ivan Seeking
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the claims and controversies surrounding the existence and size of a wild boar known as Hogzilla, reported to weigh around 800 lbs and measuring nearly 8 feet long. Participants explore the implications of its size, the authenticity of photographs, and the potential for exaggeration in media reports. The conversation touches on aspects of folklore, wildlife behavior, and the impact of such stories on public perception.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that while the size of Hogzilla may have been exaggerated, the existence of a large wild boar is plausible, referencing a 2000 lb domesticated hog as a comparison.
  • Concerns are raised about the authenticity of the photographs associated with Hogzilla, with some participants expressing skepticism about their validity.
  • One participant speculates that the story may have been promoted by the owner of a hunting estate to attract more hunters, suggesting a potential motive for exaggeration.
  • Another participant discusses the ecological implications of wild boar populations, noting that if they find abundant food sources, they could grow larger and pose risks to humans.
  • Speculation arises regarding the relationship between wild boars and cougars, with one participant suggesting that the growth of one species could support the other in the ecosystem.
  • Participants share anecdotes and personal experiences related to wild boars and their behavior, including concerns about their intelligence and aggression.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no clear consensus on the authenticity of the Hogzilla story or the implications of its existence. Disagreement exists regarding the interpretation of evidence and the motivations behind the narrative.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the limitations of photographic evidence and the potential for misinterpretation due to digital effects. There are also unresolved questions about the social behavior of wild boars and their interactions with other wildlife.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in wildlife behavior, folklore, ecological interactions, and the impact of media on public perception may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
8,252
Reaction score
2,664
As reported today: The size was exagerated but he is real and a very unusual specimen - the body is est to have been about 800 Lbs and nearly 8 feet long.

One Japanese farm grew a 2000 LB domesticated Hog. So even though an 800 LB hog is not unheard of, that a wild boar would reach 800 Lbs is surprising. Note also that the picture is sized properly. From what I saw, the meaurements were taken by two different methods. The scientists measured from butt to snout whereas the people who shot the hog measured with the corpse hanging - I'm betting along the longest continuous line which may be closer to 12 feet as claimed.

Indeed, when the National Geographic Society sent a team of scientists to exhume Hogzilla, what they found was not a 12-foot behemoth of a hog, but an animal measuring 7-1/2 feet in length &mdash: a hybrid of wild boar and domestic Hampshire pig that the the Atlanta Journal-Constitution described as "large, perhaps even record-setting large, but not hide-the-children-and-get-your-guns large."
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/hogzilla.asp

I would also argue that if the snopes or the Atlanta Journal-Constitution author believe that an aggressive 800 Lb wild boar running loose in the countryside is not "hide-the-children-and-get-your-guns dangerous", they needs to get out more. That would almost certainly be one very dangerous animal.
 
Last edited:
Biology news on Phys.org
I saw it-scary!

Very curious too as it seemed the photo was 'hoaxed'.

(could this mean Peg-leg Big Foot from the same town is real?)
 
mouseonmoon said:
I saw it-scary!

Very curious too as it seemed the photo was 'hoaxed'.

I agree. There were enough oddities in the photo to make me assume the worst. I was pretty much convinced that the photo was faked but it seems that digital cameras play some tricks of their own. In fact I have seen claims "debunked" on less. This is certainly a good lesson for the perpetual skeptics.
 
Ivan:
"This is certainly a good lesson for the perpetual skeptics."

right on--this story has been a gem, enlightening on many levels.
a Classic!


>hey,got any ideas for songs?

one day jim was huntin' coons
and along came a hog
as big as the Moon!

"good golly" he did declare,
this ol boar's meaner
than a Bear!

an'smelt worst than
an outhouse
on a day
With no air!

Hog-ziller!
What a Critter!

two shots rang out
<Bang bang>
He jus walked away.
How'd i miss 'im!
who's going to believe this!
wwell i mus be dreamin'

((take it away
play that banjo boy>
let's get outta here!))


hey, This is as much fun as DNA research!
 
I missed this thread, I just started one in Biology, as I would like to learn more of the genitc make up of Pigs. The NGC show make it sound pretty incredible.

That is one big pig!
 
Coming soon to an urban legend near you: The Children of Hogzilla[/size]

He had six good years of boaring around before being shot...
 
Perhaps this entire story has be foisted on us by the owner of the Boar Hunting estate. Do you suppose he made a habit of "losing" bags of his high protein fish food? Maybe he let this thing run loose but was making sure that it was well fed the whole time.

Talk about free advertising! I'll bet hunters are flocking to his place hoping to get a shot at the offspring of this thing. Nothing like a dead monster to attract attention.
 
Also, as discussed in the NG program, it seems that the spread of wild boars is a problem in itself. If some find good food sources they could grow as large as Hogzilla, or larger. In S. California they occasionally lose hikers and bikers to mountain lion attacks. This even happens [rarely] in residential neighborhoods that border wildlife areas. From what they said in the NG program, humans and wild boars will also be crossing paths more and more frequently. No doubt the facts related to such encounters will be exaggerated at times.
 
I speculate that the wild boar growth could well accompany and "feed" the cougar growth? Seems like a cougar would find a piglet a tasty treat. At 3 litters with a dozen piglets each a single sow could feed a lot of cougars without slowing the growth of the wild boars.
 
  • #10
mouseonmoon said:
Ivan:
"This is certainly a good lesson for the perpetual skeptics."

right on--this story has been a gem, enlightening on many levels.
a Classic!


>hey,got any ideas for songs?

one day jim was huntin' coons
and along came a hog
as big as the Moon!

"good golly" he did declare,
this ol boar's meaner
than a Bear!

an'smelt worst than
an outhouse
on a day
With no air!

Hog-ziller!
What a Critter!

two shots rang out
<Bang bang>
He jus walked away.
How'd i miss 'im!
who's going to believe this!
wwell i mus be dreamin'

((take it away
play that banjo boy>
let's get outta here!))


hey, This is as much fun as DNA research!
That was great! :approve:
 
  • #11
Ivan-thanks

i've been wondering how this guy went 'un-noticed'--when you consider the Texas farmer who pointed out 'this was done by one' regular-sized boar?

My mother's family were farmers and raised hogs- lot of talk about their intelligence and how mean they were--terrible stories really--they always scared me,and weren't just 'protecting their young'.

It's unclear to me how 'social they are' in the wild--if the males try to kill the piglets like ferral cats for example?

Wierdest thing of all was the suggestion that these animals 'chose to be domesticated'!?

Coyotes have been a problem only 50 miles from the East Coast-stealing chickens. Even last summer reported around here not far from Dulles Air Port.

what happened to the Killer Bees?

anyway, found this curious story from the Brits-a 3-tiered 50lb pork-pie "wedding growler"
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=977052

and:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/4367699.stm

enjoy!

btw
try addin a quart of 'Moonshine' to your BBQ sauce
just in case...
 

Similar threads

Hogzilla: Domestic Pig Reversion to Wild Boar in Georgia
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K