MEASUREMENTS ON THE BODY SIZE OF THE WILD BOAR IN GAME FARMS

Erika Skobrák Bodnár, András Jávor, Károly Bodnár

Abstract
   The wild boar is one of the main big game species in Hungary. The aim of our work was to contribute and to broaden the data published on the anatomical size of the animals in the Hungarian wild boar population. When comparing our data, we tried to find correlation between the sex, age, habitat natural food sources of the animals, supplementary feeding and body size. The anatomical size sampling of the animals was conducted (n=248) during the winter hunting season immediately after the end of the hunt. A digital spring scale was used to weigh the eviscerated weight of the animals (kg), a measuring tape to take the body length (cm), head length (cm), ear length (cm) and withers height (cm). A vernier caliper was used to measure the heart length (cm) and width (cm).
   SPSS 11. were used for statistical analyses by the results strong positive correlation were found between the body length and the eviscerated body weight (r=0.66) and between the body length and height at the withers (r=0.65). Similar correlation was found between the eviscerated body weight and the size of the hearth. The correlation between the body length and the length of the head is strong (r=0.68), but between the length of the head and ears moderate (r=0.58).

Key words: wild boar, body weight, body length, head length, withers height