Stone Boar

"If you ate today, thank a Boar farmer" - Stone Boar farmers' motto

Stone Boars are a quasi-subterranean porcine species native to the mountain forests and cave systems around Kraichtaltor.

Description

The Stone Boar is a bulky, massively built suid with short and relatively thin legs. The trunk is short and robust, while the hindquarters are comparatively underdeveloped. The region behind the shoulder blades rises into a hump and the neck is short and thick to the point of being nearly immobile. The animal's head is very large, taking up to one-third of the body's entire length. The structure of the head is well suited for digging. The head acts as a plough, while the powerful neck muscles allow the animal to upturn considerable amounts of soil: it is capable of digging 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) into frozen ground and can upturn rocks weighing 40–50 kg (88–110 lb). The eyes are small and deep-set and the ears long and broad. The species has well developed canine teeth, which protrude from the mouths of adult males. The medial hooves are larger and more elongated than the lateral ones and are capable of quick movements. The animal can run at a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) and jump at a height of 140–150 cm (55–59 in), when threatened the creatures are known to charge the threat and attempt to gore them with their large tusks.
Sexual dimorphism is very pronounced in the species, with males being typically 5–10% larger and 20–30% heavier than females. Males also sport a mane running down the back, which is particularly apparent during autumn and winter. The canine teeth are also much more prominent in males and grow throughout life. All adult members of the species sport bony plates of armour across the upper sections of their bodies including the upper surface of the snout and head extending along the spine and around halfway down the creatures' flanks and legs.
Adult size and weight is largely determined by environmental factors; boars living in arid areas with little productivity tend to attain smaller sizes than their counterparts inhabiting areas with abundant food and water. Males average 110–130 kg (240–290 lb) in weight, 95 cm (37 in) in shoulder height and 160 cm (63 in) in body length, while females weigh 95 kg (209 lb), reach 85–90 cm (33–35 in) in shoulder height and 145 cm (57 in) in body length.

Uses

Stone Boars are the staple of the Kraichtaltori diet given their deliciousness and their ability to breed like wildfire, the boars are bred in their thousands by the farmers of Kraichtaltor. Boar breeding reaches such heights that most farmers cannot come close to giving an accurate head count of their livestock, it is for this reason that Kraichtaltor's dwarves choose boar over the also widespread Rothé.
These creatures have proven to be resistant to training through a severely short attention-span to anything not directly food-related. This dedication to food has been turned to the Dwarves' benefit however; Stone Boars' noses are sensitive enough to detect edible fungus and plant species or other morsels up to 5ft underground, and armed with their strong snouts, durable hooves and sharp tusks in a matter of hours a team of Stone Boars & Dwarves quick enough to snatch the exposed foodstuffs before the boars gorge on them can gather enough food to feed a typical family for a fortnight.
The Dwarves of Kraichtaltor have also been known on occasion to use the boars as pit-fighting animals, not unlike cock fighting rings in surface cultures.
In spite of this Stone Boars are considered to be stupid creatures by your typical Dwarf; giving birth to the popular phrase regarding the boars: "Big on flavour, short on brains".
Popular Stone Boar dishes include:

• Braised Stone Boar with fresh fungus
• Stone Boar ragout with powdered darktentacles
• Roast Stone Boar with Cave Orchid sauce

Lifespan

10 - 20 years

Conservation Status

Least concern

Average Weight

Male- 240–290 lbs. Female- 200-209 lbs.