TIMING AND SYNCHRONY OF BIRTHS IN THE WILD BOAR (Sus scrofa LINNAEUS, 1758) IN A MEDITERRANEAN HABITAT: THE EFFECT OF FOOD AVAILABILITY

Birth chronology and food availability in wild boar populations from Montpellier garrigue area in southern France were studied between 1989 and 1994. We found a relationship between the holly oak mast crop and the peak of births. When acorn mast was abundant, births were early and synchronized, with the peak occurring in February or March. Conversely, when food production was low, the birth peak was less intense and occurred later (April-May-June) and there were few births in autumn. There was no bimodal distribution of births in the wild boar populations. Key words: acorns, food availability, France, reproduction, Sus scrofa