View Single Post
Old March 31, 2009, 10:55 PM   #26
Double Naught Spy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2001
Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX
Posts: 12,717
Quote:
You have a hog problem yet you disagree with the facts of their biology and ability?
Quote:
Did you notice the state biologist that spoke several times?
I noticed the biologist. I also noticed the geneticist. She specifically stated that she didn't have the evidence to substantiate the claim the Russian boar connection. So much of the show was dedicated to saying that the changes in pigs were due to interbreeding with Russian boars and yet that absolute proof for this, the genetics, simply are not there...not yet anyway.

Yes, we do have hogs that resemble Russian boars. What was not considered in the show was if the similar characteristics discussed were a matter of genetic influx or evolutionary pressures. What pigs are most likely to survive and reproduce most successfully in the wild? Are they the shorter legged, shorter snouted, less aggressive, smaller pigs? Probably not. Those are the pigs likely being selected against, biologically speaking.

Did you notice how they identified a Russian boar on the game camera? That was one hell of an identification. They didn't get anything but eye shine. So you can't even identify the type of animal in the image, but they were able to identify it as a specific breed and noted features not in evidence such as long legs, long snout, weight, head size, etc. That isn't biology. That isn't good biology in the least.

The show also claimed that as a worst case scenario that the pig population could double every few months. Mathematically, that may be true, but then again, that isn't reality and so they are making a considerable sensationalized claim.

Strangely, the biologist noted that pigs can breed as early as 5 months of age and sows can produce 3 litters of an average of 6 young per litter ever 14 months and that there is nothing else out there that can keep up with that. What he is saying is that pigs have an "r selection" reproductive pattern (e.g., multiple large litters per year vs. K selected species that tend to produce smaller litters less frequently such as deer, for example). So while K selected species don't reproduce anywhere near as fast as hogs, there are many r selected species that reproduce as fast or faster than hogs. So, there are definitely other animals that can keep up with or surpass pig reproduction success.

So the worst case scenario for a lot of animal populations would have them breeding at rates much faster than hogs, mathematically speaking. In this regard, hogs are not unique.

I also noted how the show seemed to correlate the Pig Bomb in the US as being due to the influx of Russian boar genes into the non-Russian feral hog gene pool in recent years. Strangely, it was noted that there was a pig bomb phenomenon in the Old World as well. What influx of genetic material is being introduced there to cause their pig population explosion to co-occur with the one in the US?

So do I doubt the biology? That depends what you are asking. I doubt the biology expressed in the show that seemed to play up a lot of pseudo facts and innuendo that just don't have the biology behind them to be considered a valid claim. In short, they sensationalized the information considerably.
__________________
"If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011
My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange
Double Naught Spy is offline  
 
Page generated in 0.03381 seconds with 8 queries