Dziki

Dziki is the Polish name for the wild boar, Sus scrofa, a large omnivorous mammal in the family Suidae. The species is native to Europe and Asia and has been introduced to other regions. In Poland and much of Europe, wild boars are common in forests, forest edges, wetlands, and agricultural landscapes.

Dziki have a robust body, short legs, a long snout, and coarse fur that ranges in color from dark brown to gray. Males, called boars, develop prominent tusks used for defense and for foraging; females, or sows, have smaller tusks. Adults vary in size with habitat quality and food availability.

They are highly adaptable and occupy a variety of habitats, from dense woodlands to open farmlands, often near water sources. Their diet is omnivorous, including roots, tubers, fruits, nuts, fungi, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, and crops. They typically forage by day or night and take shelter in dense cover when resting. Socially, dziki form sounders—groups of females and young—while adult males tend to be more solitary outside the breeding season.

Reproduction occurs in autumn, with a gestation of about 115 days. Litters usually consist of 4–8 piglets, sometimes more. Piglets are born with striped fur for camouflage and grow rapidly, reaching adulthood within a year or two.

Conservation and human interaction: the wild boar is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its wide distribution and large populations, though local numbers can be affected by hunting, habitat change, and disease. Dziki are also the wild ancestor of the domestic pig and can impact agriculture and ecosystems where they are abundant.