History
Feral hogs (Sus scrofa), which are wild swine from domestic ancestry, belong to the family Suidae. Actually, there are three types of wild hogs found in the United States: feral hogs, Eurasian wild boar (Russian) and hybrids between these two types. The hybrid of course is a cross between the feral hog and the Russian wild boar.

Native to the Southwest U.S., the javelina is often confused with the feral hog. Javelinas are hog-like in appearance, however, they are not closely related. Photo: Dale Rollins

In the United States (U.S.), California, Florida and Texas have the highest numbers of feral hogs. Some of the Hawaiian Islands have substantial populations as well, and Oklahoma's population is healthy and growing. Even though these states and many others have populations of feral hogs, they are not indigenous (native) to the United States.

A hog-like animal, the javelina or collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu), is native to the southwest U.S. However, the feral hog is a different species, genus and family from the javelina which belongs to the family Tayassuidae.

Ancestors of our swine date back to the Miocene. During the period when the world was shifting and forming new continents, the swine family was excluded from the new world. It was probably not until the discovery of the new world by European man that swine found their way into what is now the U.S. Early explorers such as Hernando Cortes and Hernando de Soto are largely responsible for their introduction. The swine these explorers brought over were domesticated and it was not until the 1930's that the Russian wild boar was introduced.