Pig

Today, domestic pigs can be found in many different breeds almost all over the world. They are kept by humans and are important suppliers of meat.

Characteristics

What do pigs look like?

Our domestic pigs are all descended from the European-Asian wild boar. The different breeds can look very different, but they form a single species and belong to the real pig family. Like all pigs, domestic pigs have a large head, short neck, and short legs.

Typical are the conical shape of the head and the long, flexible snout with the nostrils in the snout. The eyes are small and set high on the head, the ears are pointed and often hanging forward. The tail sometimes bears a tassel. They can smell and hear very well, but their eyesight is poor. Depending on the breed, pigs can be 50 centimeters to 2 meters long and up to 110 centimeters high.

Adult animals weigh around 130 kilograms on average, wild boars even weigh up to over 300 kilograms. Many domestic pigs have no fur, but only wear a more or less dense coat of bristles through which the pink skin shimmers. But there are also breeds that are dark in color or have a dark pattern – the Bentheim domestic pig, for example, has large dark spots on a light background.

Where do pigs live?

The ancestor of our domestic pigs, the European-Asian wild boar, is distributed all over the world. Various subspecies of wild boar live in Europe, Northwest Africa, Asia to Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines.

Wild boars live in many different habitats. They feel most comfortable in deciduous and mixed forests, where they find water and places to wallow in the earth and in the mud. In some areas, they also follow humans. In Berlin, for example, they have conquered the city forests. They often invade gardens and eat the vegetables there or dig in garbage cans.

Animals that behave in this way are called “cultural followers”. Domestic pigs are also very adaptable and can get along in many climate zones and habitats. Like farm animals, however, they are mainly kept in stables. In some countries, such as Spain, some breeds are allowed to romp outdoors on the pasture.

What types of pigs are there?

There are five different genera in the pig family worldwide: river hogs, wild boars, warthogs, giant forest hogs, and babirusa.

There are innumerable breeds of domestic pigs around the world, most of which have emerged in the last 200 years. These include the pot-bellied pig as well as the Angler saddle pig, the German large pig, the Swabian Hall pig, the Iberian pig, or the colorful Bentheim country pig.

Many of these races almost disappeared. Because when more pigs with low-fat meat were desired in the mid-1950s, other breeds were bred. These modern breeds grow very quickly when fattened and have two to four more ribs – giving more chops than a normal pig.

How old do pigs get?

Domestic pigs can live up to twelve years, wild boars up to twenty years. But most of them don’t get older than six months: by then they weigh around 100 kilograms and are ready for slaughter.

Behave

How do pigs live?

Pigs are among the oldest domestic animals – but they were domesticated later than dogs, sheep, and goats. Stone Age people tamed wild boar in East Asia 10,000 years ago. It took a little longer in Europe: there have been pigs living with the people since about 8000 BC.

In some areas, such as in Southeast Asia, there are also semi-tame pigs that look for food independently in the forest during the day and return to the villages to the people of their own accord in the evening.

The female pig is called a sow, the male boar – he has small pointed tusks. Young animals weighing up to five kilograms are called piglets, if they weigh between five and twenty-five kilograms they are called runners. Piglets that are still suckling are called suckling pigs. Pigs are extremely social animals and always live in packs.

They love digging in the ground for food and wallowing in the mud. This not only cools them down on hot days but also keeps the animals clean: once the mud has dried, they rub off the crust and remove vermin at the same time.

Modern pig breeds are often very susceptible to stress and, like humans, get the heart and circulatory diseases. Because their other organs are also very similar to those of humans, they are often kept as laboratory and experimental animals. In contrast, most old races are much more resistant.

Because their meat often tastes better, some of these breeds are bred again today. An example is the colorful Bentheim pig. These animals are very undemanding and their meat is of particularly good quality.

Friends and foes of the pig

The domestic pig has only one enemy – man. Wild boar can be prey to predators such as wolves and bears, however, adult animals are very strong and both boar and sows can be very aggressive when threatened or defending their young.

How do pigs reproduce?

Pigs become sexually mature at new months. They are known to have very large numbers of young. A sow gives birth to young twice a year: after a gestation period of 112 to 114 days, ten to twelve piglets are born.

How do pigs communicate?

Pigs can squeak and grunt quite loudly.