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Abstract
Within the USA invaded range, wild pigs are destructive, invasive hybrids of European wild boar and domestic pigs. However, aspects of wild pig social structures and mating strategies have been largely understudied. For my research, I used genomic tools and samples collected over several years from disparate wild pig populations across southern USA to address these gaps. In Chapter 2, I found female sounders were the main social unit, but pseudo-solitary females and male-dominated bachelor groups occurred more often than previously described. While primarily relatives, some sounders included unrelated females. Bachelor groups were mainly young male kin. In Chapter 3, I found proportion of male European wild boar ancestry was negatively correlated with number of assigned litters, whereas male age was positively correlated. Collectively, my research suggests wild pig sociality and mating strategies are similar to those observed among European wild boar, but is complex, dynamic, and variable across invaded habitats.