The Amazing Life History of the
Porcus boriphoricus
As per the recent dig in the Cuyahoga Valley
National Park Teacher Excavation Program
Why this dig?
• Professor Maxwell Monter from Akron
University has proposed the existence of
Porcus boriphoricus from the existence of
other Ohio Ice Age remains and fossils.
– Plants: spruce, fir, hemlock, tamarack, cedar and
larch. (same plants in N. Canada today)
– Animals: mammoth, mastadon, muskox, caribou,
short-faced bear, ground sloth, and giant beaver
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Why this dig?
• Pigs and pig-like species typically exist in these
types of ecosystem
– (when humans are not present)
• Professor Monter hypothesized that the Dire
Wolf and Smilidon would have feasted on the
Porcus boriphoricus
• NO bones available for research….HUGE need
to find tangible evidence of this animal
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The CVNF Dig
• Cuyahoga Valley National Forest (CVNF) asked
high school teachers to sign up for a dig.
– 1 week in June 2012
• Ice age location recently unearthed due to
Erie canal maintenance.
– Identified by evidence of lack of previous glaciated
topsoil.
• Teachers brought in to help unearth evidence.
– (free labor from enthusiastic workers!)
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The CVNF Dig
• Mark & Ginny-Athens
• Clyde and Philip-Hudson
• Professor Monter
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The CVNF Dig
• Teachers given background in proper dig
procedure
• Classes in mammalian anatomy, ice age
ecosystems, paleoartistry and deciphering
ground clues
• Reconstructed presumed replica fossils to take
to classrooms.
• Required to present to current Biology classes
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The CVNF Dig
• During maintenance of Erie
canal, a pre-Pleistocene strata
un-earthed.
• Construction was halted until a
digging team was called in.
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The CVNF Dig
• What did I do?
– Lots of digging!!
– Comparative snout mark analysis
– Helped with articulating hypothesized skeleton
• Made molds from others models
– Got tired….often
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The CVNF Dig
• No tangible evidence was found.
• Not a total loss!
• Presumed pig rooting marks
– Under a few layers of topsoil.
– Pig snout marks
• Maybe some pig hoof prints
• Somewhat comparable to current
wild boar markings.
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The CVNF Dig
• No physical evidence found!
• But some info might be
available
• Only from presumed snout marks, skull
determined.
• Size of skull led to overall body plan
– Based on current pigs / hogs
– Nothing to make measurements of except marks in
soil
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The CVNF Dig
• Rest of skeleton assumed from assumptions of skull
• Presumed Porcus boriphoricus skeleton (below).
• About 4-5 feet tall
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Paleoartists rendering of the
Porcus boriphoricus
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The CVNF Dig
• Hypothesized teeth positively identify P.
boriphoricus as omnivore that favored mosses,
grasses, earthworms, root vegetables and
snails.
• From presumed skelton, P. boriphoricus had a
top speed of 25 mph
• This suggests large previously unknown
predatator that used speed to hunt P.
boriphoricus
– Work next summer?
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Team examining reconstrucuted
Porcus boriphoricus
• Team examining final fleshed-out model
• Trying to deduce behaviors from hypothesized
model
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Porcus boriphoricus
• Body structure
– 4 feet tall at the shoulders
– About 200-450 pounds (males larger)
– 4 toes
• 2 large & 2 small
– Black or dark brown with thick short hair
• Males had a mane
• Piglets had a mottled appearance for camouflage
• Females bare on undersize for nursing
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Porcus boriphoricus
• Habitat
– Evergreen forests gathering funguses growing on
dead and decaying woods
– Rooted around under trees for grubs, worm and
tubers.
– Nested in pine needle beds or thick brush in and
around pine forests
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Porcus boriphoricus
• Diet
– As most pigs are omnivores, P. boriphoricus, also
presumed to be an omnivore
– Therefore teeth sharp in front and grinding in back
• Many pig species males have large canines so those
were included in our model as P. boriphoricus
– No fossilized poop or other remains found
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Porcus boriphoricus
• Mating
– Since males had large canines they MUST have
been fighting one another.
– Males had dramatic winking to alert rival males of
intent to challenge
– Very loud call to gather females (males had large
chest cavities)
– Males had harems of 4-7 sows
– Sows had 6-10 piglets (sow age dependent)
– With most pigs, piglets stay for a max of 6 months
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Porcus boriphoricus
• Any questions?
• Quiz tomorrow??
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