Eventually, some of the wild boar escaped from the preserve and reached the park by the late 1940's. Interbreeding between the wild boar and domestic pig stock during the boar's movement toward the park resulted in hybrid wild hogs. The wild hogs seen in the park today are descendants of these animals, even though most still carry the characteristics of the European wild boar, including black hair, long legs, and tusks. However, some of the hogs have a white blaze on their face which indicates the hybridization that has occurred. Although the maximum weight for a wild hog is 300 pounds, most male hogs in the Smokies weigh about 125 pounds.
Females weigh slightly less.
Both sexes have 44 teeth including a well developed set of canine teeth. Coat color varies from gray to black, and most piglets have longitudinal stripes until they are about four months old. Hogs have poor eyesight, but a keep sense of smell and hearing. Wild hog piglets weigh about two pounds at birth. After three or four months, the piglets are weaned and independent of the sow.