The Meditations of Porcus Hogrelius

#0003 I did a European mount for a hog I shot a while back. It weighed about 240 pounds. The two photos are the before and after shots. I removed the head and skinned it. Then, I placed it on the ground under a wash tub. As time went by the dermestid beetles and their larvae did the rest. They ate all the non-bone and non-tooth matter. The skull was black with dirt when they got finished. I then placed the skull in a bleach solution which cleaned it up nicely. You will notice that the tusks are barely visible on the live (or dead) hog. Then, with the flesh removed, the tusks can be seen in their full length. Obviously, the hog could do lots of damage with their tusks. The tusks in the jaw are the “cutters” for obvious reasons. The tusks coming from the skull are the “whetters” because they keep the cutters sharp. Both grow continuously which is how that stay sharp. At least half of the tusk remains inside the bone. Once they are removed, they become even more impressive. The base of the tusks are hollow and the material is paper thin, Until next time, and in memory of Luther Billis. Porcus Hogrellius Make Yourself a Better Hog Hunter