When did genetic analysis estimate *Sus scrofa* diverged from other *Sus* genus members?
Answer
Near the beginning of the Pliocene epoch, between 3.5 and 5.3 million years ago.
Genetic analyses place the divergence of the wild boar (*Sus scrofa*) from other members of the *Sus* genus deep in evolutionary history, specifically locating this split near the commencement of the Pliocene epoch. This timeframe is quantitatively specified as occurring between 3.5 and 5.3 million years ago. This ancient lineage establishes the wild boar as the ancestral stock for nearly all domestic pigs and highlights its long evolutionary trajectory preceding human interaction or domestication events, which began millions of years later.
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