Razorback
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- Razorback (film), a 1984 Australian horror film
Razorbacks, also referred to as an Old World swine, feral hogs, Eurasian wild boar, or Russian wild boar, are feral pigs that were brought to North America by the explorer Hernando de Soto during the mid-1550s. The animal evolved due to a system of farming known as free roam or free range farming, where domesticated animals were allowed to roam freely and are identified by a brand, or burned marking, on their hides. Though pigs were successfully farmed this way, many were lost. These lost pigs eventually made up the first razorback populations. This type of farming eventually declined because of space limitations and because of the desire to obtain hard fat, which can only be harvested from pigs on strict diets.
Razorbacks are also viewed as a chief game species in many parts of the United States. They are found in 19 states, mainly in the southeastern United States but extending up to the northeast and in part of the Midwest. Texas has the largest population of razorbacks which are sometimes confused with the javelina, a similar (but unrelated) native species in the southwest. Razorbacks are hunted for sport and trophy. Hunting of razorbacks is encouraged in many areas due to their destructive nature. They tend to shy away from human contact but can become very dangerous if they are cornered, wounded, or with young, and can injure and even kill humans and other animals.
