Coyote vs. Wild Boar: Which Animal Would Win a Fight?

Written by Crystal
Updated: June 22, 2023
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Imagine stumbling upon a coyote squaring off against a big wild boar. Who would have the ultimate advantage if these two creatures were to duke it out? In today’s animal battle, we’ll answer this question and so many more!

It’s time to unveil each species’ strengths, skills, and weaknesses to figure out who deserves the championship title. Are you team coyote? Or team wild boar? Follow along to discover who wins in a coyote vs. wild boar battle.

Key Points

  1. Both coyotes and wild boars are strong and smart, making this battle a close call.
  2. Wild boars have an advantage in size and strength, with a robust build, strong muscles, and sharp tusks. They can charge and knock down obstacles or predators.
  3. Coyotes are smaller but have muscular bodies, agility, and endurance.
  4. Coyotes are ambush hunters, using their camouflage to stalk prey patiently.
  5. Wild boars are not ambush hunters but use their keen sense of smell to detect prey.
  6. Both coyotes and wild boars are omnivores.
  7. Wild boars use their tusks for battles and defense but often suffer fractures due to the impacts.
  8. Sometimes wild boars fracture their tusks during a fight.
  9. Wild boars are aggressive during rutting season.
  10. Coyotes have distinct howls for communication and estimating distances.

Competitor Overview

The key factors in a coyote vs. wild boar fight are size, strength, hunting, defense mechanisms, intelligence, and adaptability.

Coyote

coyote in sunlight

Coyotes are smaller than wolves and usually weigh less than 50 pounds.

©Mircea Costina/Shutterstock.com

Smaller than a wolf, coyotes are canines that live in North and Central America. These candids are smart and can adapt to all sorts of situations. Since they eat plants and animals, coyotes are considered omnivores. However, they have a more carnivorous diet. Some of their favorite meals include rabbits, squirrels, and other small mammals.

When trying to figure out where you can see a coyote, the answer is just about anywhere. These crafty creatures live in forests, deserts, and even cities. They’re the kings of adaptability. One of the reasons coyotes can survive in different places is because they’re able to eat so many different things.

They also have fur that helps them camouflage and hide within their environment. Typically, a coyote’s fur is a reddish-brown or grayish-brown color.

Finally, coyotes are tough and usually live in groups. They use their cleverness to find whatever they need. And for this animal battle, that cleverness could help them win against a wild boar.

Wild Boar

Close up portrait of big male Sus scrofa Wild boar in autumn beech forest coming directly to camera. Colorful fallen orange leaves on the ground,blurred trees in background. European lowland forest.

Wild boars are an invasive species that prefer to travel in groups.

©Martin Mecnarowski/Shutterstock.com

Similar to the coyote, wild boars are excellent at finding food in different places. They have a keen sense of smell that helps them eat plants and animals. Using their strong muscles and sharp tusks, a wild boar will dig in the ground to find a tasty meal.

Belonging to the pig family, a wild boar can have a lot of babies. And since they prefer to travel in groups (sounders), where you find one, there’s usually more nearby.

Where do wild boars live? This invasive species has a widespread range and can survive in forests and other areas. For instance, Texas is having a major problem with wild boars right now. There are millions of them running around, digging up crops, and tearing up natural habitats.

Round 1: Size and Strength

Coyotes are strong, agile creatures that can grow over 3 feet long.

©Derek R. Audette/Shutterstock.com

Round one is all about comparing our competitors’ size and strengths. Which species will be the heavyweight contender for this round of our battle? That win will go to the wild boar.

While boars can reach a height of three to 5 ft and have a length of four to six and a half feet long. In extreme cases, a wild boar can be the size of a grizzly bear.

Along with their big stocky bodies, they can also have a weight ranging from 130 to 300 pounds. These pigs have a robust build with strong neck and shoulder muscles. They’re capable of charging and knocking down obstacles. Or, in this case, knocking down a coyote.

Their dangerous tusks serve as both a defense and a weapon in combat. Using their size, strength, and aggressive nature, wild boars could easily take on an unsuspecting coyote. The chances of a wild boar winning are even greater during rutting season.

Coyote Size

So how does the coyote factor into all of this? These medium-sized canines are smaller than wolves, but they’re not tiny. A coyote can measure between 2 to 3 feet long. They can have a height of three to 4 feet at shoulder length.

As for their weight, they usually range between 20 to 50 pounds. Despite their small size, coyotes have muscular bodies. They’re incredibly agile and can endure running for a long time. These canines are also skilled at jumping, climbing, and swimming. These factors will give the coyote an advantage when fighting against a wild boar. Using their adaptability, intelligence, and movements, they could be the winner.

Dangers of Rutting Season

Wild boars are so aggressive during the rutting season that there are rumors of them killing tigers in India. The claims of boars killing tigers lack scientific evidence, but they provide insight into how crazy these pigs can get.

Wild boars mark their territories during mating season and fight with rivals using their tusks and strength, creating intense battles. And they’re noisy too. Males will use special vocalizations to attract females and communicate with other males.

Round 2: Hunting Skills and Defenses

Wild boar, sus scrofa, digging on a meadow throwing mud around with its nose. Dynamic wildlife image of hog damaging ground while looking for a food.

Wild boars dig up the ground to find food.

©WildMedia/Shutterstock.com

Round two is all about comparing our competitors’ hunting and defense mechanisms. Using its camouflaged coat, the coyote can perfectly blend into its environment. These ambush hunters will stalk their prey patiently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Since they’re highly adaptable predators, coyotes will target a wide variety of prey. As they wait, hiding to catch their prey, they use their keen senses to track movements. They also use their hearing to detect any possible threats, like a bear that might be nearby.

Similar to the way a cougar might stalk its prey, coyotes wait as long as they have to. Then when the moment’s right, these agile runners can reach up to 40 mph speeds, closing in during a fast pursuit ambush. Another advantage the coyote has on its side is pack cooperation. These canines hunt in packs and will defend each other.

Wild Boar Hunting Skills and Defenses

Wild boars, on the other hand, aren’t ambush hunters. There’s nothing stealthy about these creatures. Instead, they take on a charge-first and ask-questions-later approach to catching prey.

Using their keen sense of smell, wild boars can detect prey deep within the ground. Then they use their sharp tusks to root and begin foraging for food. By digging in the ground, a wild boar will expose any animals that might be hiding underneath. The tusks can also serve as offensive weapons if needed.

As for defense mechanisms, wild boars are great at standing their ground. They’ll also do bluff charges, similar to the way a brown bear charges. A wild boar will run towards something threatening it and then run away. The bluff charge is designed to scare any potential threat away. Other defense mechanisms that this creature has are vocalizations and aggressive postures.

Similar to the coyote, which travels in a group, wild boars travel in a social group called sounders. The sounders provide added protection and make them even more efficient hunters.

Round 3: Intelligence and Adaptability

Lone Coyote settling in at Bad Water, Death Valley National Park

Coyotes are highly intelligent creatures capable of surviving in all sorts of environments.

©iStock.com/dmodlin01

Round three is all about comparing our competitors’ intelligence and adaptability. Which species has the smarts to take home the championship? Will it be the wild boar with its charging ways or the coyote?

Both of our competitors are very intelligent and have a high degree of adaptability. Coyotes are particularly skilled with cognitive flexibility. They can change their mindset at a moment’s notice and are great at solving problems. To illustrate, a coyote will adjust its hunting behaviors and strategies to the changing environmental conditions. This has helped them be successful when hunting in urban environments. They use innovative tactics for obtaining food, and since they’re opportunistic feeders, they’ll eat almost anything that comes their way.

As for the wild boar, they’re great at surviving in all sorts of habitats, including human-altered landscapes. Using their wise foraging skills, these opportunistic feeders can eat and change their diet based on seasonal changes. They also adapt their behavior to avoid predators like mountain lions.

Howls and Tusks: Animal Battle Edition

Skull, Wild Boar, Animal Skeleton, Animal Teeth, Teeth

During a study, researchers found wild boars sometime fracture their tusks while fighting.

©iStock.com/Ben-Schonewille

Coyotes and wild boars have unique features that help them in battles and communication. And in the animal world, being able to convey information and fight off threats is what survival is all about.

Have you ever heard a coyote yipping in the middle of the night? A coyote’s bark and howl have special characteristics. These characteristics are unique to each individual coyote. In other words, they each have their own vocal signature and way of identifying themselves.

Scientists conducted a study and found that they could correctly identify the barks of five coyotes 69% of the time and the howls of coyotes 83% of the time. The howl characteristics remain consistent no matter how far away they are from the source. This suggests that one howl can convey reliable information. Barks are less stable and not as helpful for recognizing individual coyotes over long distances.

If an animal battle between a coyote and a wild boar, the canine could use a distinctive howl to let its pack know there’s danger. The howl is also a great way to estimate distances using sound.

Boar Tusks and Fighting Fractures

When the boar attacks the coyote, it might wind up breaking a bone. Or, in this case, a tusk.

While boars use their tusks for exciting battles, sometimes, these battles result in serious injuries. Researchers collected 20 sets of tusks from male wild boars in Croatia. All of the tusks had abnormalities or something wrong with them.

The most common issue scientists found were fractures in the tusks. These pigs use their fighting tools to mark trees, dig in the ground, and fight. Fractures occur when the tusks experience a strong impact or when they grow too long without an opposing tusk.

So when you hear a coyote howl in the wild, remember that they’re communicating with distinct sounds. And if you ever come across a wild boar, be amazed by their powerful tusks that serve as weapons in their animal battles.

Who is the winner of this animal battle? Is it the powerful boar with its robust build and sharp tusks, or does the win go to our howling coyote competitor? Let’s see the verdict now.

Who Would Win?

For this animal battle, we’re going to give the win to the coyote. But it was a very close call. The truth is that this could easily be a tie or turn out the other way around. But in this situation, the win goes to the coyote, thanks to their agility.

A coyote can move in many more ways than a wild boar. They can jump, run faster, swim, and make gymnastic-like movements to help them claim victory. The wild boar is great at charging ahead, but it won’t be a great competitor when facing off against the coyote.

The battle between a coyote and a wild boar would be unforgettable. And no doubt each creature would be well-skilled at standing its ground. But while the wild boar’s size, strength, and tusks make it a dangerous foe, the coyote’s quick-footed nature gives it the upper hand. Congrats to team coyote!

The photo featured at the top of this post is ©


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About the Author

Crystal is a dedicated writer at A-Z Animals, focusing on topics related to mammals, insects, and travel. With over a decade of experience in the world of research and writing, she also fulfills the role of a skilled video and audio engineer. Residing in sunny Florida, alligators are Crystal's favorite animal.

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