Ancient Bone-Crushing ‘Hell Pig’ Likely Roamed Iowa

I grew up on a pig farm, so I have some first-hand experience as to how they grow, eat, and herd together. Pigs are a big deal in Iowa. Hogs outnumber Iowans 7 to 1. They are a major food and income source. And if they aren't kept domesticated, they can become quite a nuisance in the wild.

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Recently, we've heard about the "super hogs" that have been invading from the colder climates. Basically, someone in Canada thought it was a good idea to crossbreed wild boars and domesticated hogs to create an animal that fared better in cold climates. The industry then fell apart, and farmers released these hybrids into the wild.

These things are brutal on the local ecosystem. They can feed on waterfowl, including goslings and ducklings, as well as larger animals like whitetail deer and elk when they are adults. Additionally, they cause significant crop damage, further impacting agriculture in the areas they invade. Heck, even domesticated pigs in general have been known to "disappear" a human body in a short amount of time. That's why this historic beast would get top billing in any horror film.

Introducing Archaeotherium. Picture something built kind of like a pig, only way bigger; like up to human height at the shoulder and tipping the scales at over a thousand pounds. Archaeotherium (ancient beast in Greek), sometimes called the “hell pig,” wasn’t actually a pig at all, but was more genetically similar to the whales and hippos that roamed ancient North America. And here’s the part that ought to make any Midwesterner raise an eyebrow: its fossils have been found across the Great Plains (Wyoming, the Dakotas, and even Nebraska), meaning this critter likely strutted right through what would eventually become Iowa's pig country. Could you imagine trying to pen these things up?

And here's why scientists brought this beast back to the current news cycle. By studying microscopic scratches and pits on Archaeotherium teeth researchers found that the bigger ones were chomping bones the way modern hyenas or lions do. We're talking full-on crunching through hard material to get to the marrow inside. Smaller members of the species stuck to softer fare like leaves, grasses, and easier-to-chew meat. So, even centuries before we started worrying about invasive super hogs, Iowa had its own roster of heavyweight beasts competing for the local food supply.

It’s a reminder that ancient ecosystems weren’t just chaotic free-for-alls. These “hell pigs” adapted just like modern animals do, carving out their own niches so everyone could make a living. I mean, at least until extinction came calling. And in a funny way, that old lesson still holds. Whether it's an Ice Age bone-crusher or a Canadian super hog, critters survive by finding the gaps in the system and digging in, often times aggressively. Makes you wonder what other prehistoric neighbors once trampled across our great state of Iowa.