Hogzilla

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Image of Hogzilla with Chris Griffin

Hogzilla is the name given to a wild hog hybrid that was shot and killed in Alapaha, Georgia, United States, on June 17, 2004 by Chris Griffin on Ken Holyoak's farm and hunting reserve.^[1] It was alleged to be 12 feet (3.6 meters) long and to weigh 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Originally it was considered a hoax.^[2]

The animal's remains were exhumed in early 2005 and studied by scientists from the National Geographic Society for a documentary. In March 2005, these scientists confirmed that Hogzilla actually weighed 800 pounds (360 kg) and was between 7.5 and 8 feet (2.25 and 2.4 meters) long, diminishing the previous claim. DNA testing was performed, revealing that Hogzilla was a hybrid of wild boar and domestic swine (Hampshire breed).^[2] However, compared to most wild boars and domestics, Hogzilla is still quite a large and extraordinary specimen.^[3]

According to the examiners, Hogzilla's tusks measured nearly 18 (46 cm) and 16 inches (41 cm), which was a new record for North America.

1 Dispute with National Geographic Society
2 In popular culture
- 2.1 Hogzilla movie
- 2.2 Investigations
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Dispute with National Geographic Society

This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Ken Holyoak, the man upon whose farm the boar was shot and killed, has disputed the findings made by the National Geographic Society documentary. Holyoak said that Hogzilla weighed 1,000 pounds (450 kg) when he weighed it on his farm scales, and that he personally measured the hog's length at 12 feet (3.6 meters) while it dangled by the straps from a backhoe. It is possible he measured from end of hoof to nose (while suspended with gravity stretching the animal) rather than from end of tail to nose (as a creature might be measured while alive and in a standing position), which might account for some of the discrepancy between his measurements and those of National Geographic.

"As with any organic being after death, tissues will decompose and the body will atrophy, making actual measurements change over time,” Holyoak said. “Have you ever seen a raisin after it was a grape?” Nancy Donnelly, the producer of the National Geographic documentary, stated that the scientists who made the measurement had already accounted for "shrinkage" when they stated their estimates.

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] Hogzilla movie

In 2007 independent film company Lithium Productions announced plans to make a movie about Hogzilla, titled The Legend of Hogzilla, enlisting Chris Griffin to help create the film.^[4] Producer Rick Trimm held auditions for extras on May 8, 2007 in Tifton, Georgia.^[5]

[edit] Investigations

This section does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

A recent phenomenon has started prior to the incident concerning Hogzilla; people from most of the southern United States have reportedly shot and killed large hogs similar in size to Hogzilla, or even larger. The History Channel television series MonsterQuest has recently done an investigation on these reports. The MonsterQuest team originally proposed that these huge hogs were relict giant extinct pigs called entelodonts. However, the team later concluded that these alledged giant hogs, dubbed "Mega Hogs", are usually either domestic pigs obese from captivity, or huge wild boars. However, they did not rule out the possibility of an entirely new species of giant wild hog.