- Yorkshire (Large White) boar
Despite their reputation, pigs are neither filthy nor stupid. They are naturally clean creatures and are among the smartest of all domestic animals, even more intelligent than dogs. Where pigs livePigs can be either wild or domestic. China is believed to have the world's largest population of domestic pigs. The United States ranks second, followed by Brazil. The Yorkshire (Large White), the world's most popular pig breed, originated in Britain in the 18th century. Several types of wild pigs are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The wild boar roams over many parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The pygmy hog, the smallest of the wild pigs, is found in Nepal and northern India and is now in danger of extinction. The warty pig and the bearded pig live in parts of Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Areas in Africa south of the Sahara Desert are home to the warthog, the giant forest pig, and the bush pig. Physical characteristicsPigs are distantly related to hippopotamuses. Their sturdy, barrel-like bodies weigh between 300 and 700 pounds (140 and 300 kilograms) and sometimes reach 1,900 pounds (860 kilograms). Pigs have thick skins covered with a coat of stiff hairs called bristles. Their sweat glands are not effective in lowering their body temperature. To escape the heat, pigs wallow in mud or shallow waterholes. The snout of a pig ends in a flat, rounded disk. Pigs use their snout to search for food. Both male and female pigs have tusks, which they use for defense. The tusks are sharpened by rubbing against one another as the pig chews. The tusks of domestic pigs are not as developed as the tusks of wild pigs. All pigs have hooves, and each hoof is divided into four toes. Pigs normally use only the center pair of toes when walking on hard ground. The shorter outer pair is helpful when the pig is walking on soft ground. Food habits and reproductionPigs are omnivores, which means that they eat both animals and plants. Wild pigs eat a wide variety of foods such as leaves, roots, fruit, reptiles, rodents, and dead animals. Domestic pigs are normally fed diets of corn, grain, root and tuber crops, commercial feeds, and edible garbage. A female pig is old enough to have piglets when she is about a year old. Before giving birth to her first litter, the female pig is known as a gilt. After the first litter, she is known as a sow. Sows can have as many as 20 piglets in a litter, but the average litter numbers about 10 or 11. |