pig - Pig species, Cultural references to pigs, Pigs in religion, Environmental impacts, Health issues

A mammal native to woodland in Europe, S Asia, and Africa; an artiodactyl; stout body with short legs and coarse hair; short thin tail; very long face in front of ears; small eyes; snout muscular, flattened, disc-like (often used for digging); lower and/or upper canine teeth may form upward-pointing tusks; eats plant and animal food; male called boar, female called sow, young called piglets; also known as hog or swine. The name pig is usually used for the domestic pig (Sus scrofa). (Family: Suidae, 9 species.)

For the river, see Świna.

iPig and piglet
Domestic sow with piglet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Suidae Genus: Sus Linnaeus, 1758
Species
Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus

Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. Pigs like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.

Pigs are very intelligent, therefore, they are highly trainable animals, and some, such as the Asian pot-bellied pig, are kept as pets.

Pigs do not have effective sweat glands , so pigs cool themselves using water or mud during hot weather.

Pig species

Sus barbatus Bearded Pig; Malaysia, Indonesia Sus bucculentus Vietnamese Warty Pig Sus cebifrons Visayas Warty Pig Sus celebensis Celebes Warty Pig Sus daelius Poulter Warty Pig Sus heureni Flores Warty Pig Sus philippensis Philippine Warty Pig Sus salvanius Pigmy Hog; Europe, Asia Sus timoriensis Timor Warty Pig Sus verrucosus Javan pig, Warty Pig; Indonesia, Philippines Sus habeoncosus Malaysian pig, Warty Pig

Hybrid swine

Domestic Tamworth Pigs are often crossed with wild boar to create "Iron Age Pigs" that resemble early domestic pigs.

Various domestic pigs have been crossed with American wild hogs to produce compact, hairy hog-like hybrids.

In "The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication" Charles Darwin wrote: The European wild boar and the Chinese domesticated pig are almost certainly specifically distinct: Sir F. A young pig which has just weaned is called a shoat

Other pig-related words

The noise that a pig makes is usually represented as "oink" in the English language but in many different ways in other languages – for instance, chrum (Polish), hunk (Albanian), hulu (Mandarin Chinese), nøff (Norwegian) and so on. A young pig which has just weaned is called a shoat Early footballs were originally made from animal bladders, often from pigs. Pig iron is so named because the molten newly-smelted iron was once poured into molds resembling rows of suckling pigs.

Cultural references to pigs

As an animal living closely with the people, pigs were and are frequently referenced in human culture.

Pigs in religion

In ancient Egypt pigs were associated with Set, the rival to the sun god Horus.

Environmental impacts

Domestic pigs which escaped from farms or were allowed to forage in the wild, and in some cases wild boars which were introduced as prey for hunting, have given rise to large populations of feral pigs in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and other areas where pigs are not native. The Invasive Species Specialist Group lists feral pigs as one of the world's 100 worst invasive species and says about them  :

Health issues

Pigs harbour a range of parasites and diseases that can be easily transmitted to man. Pigs can also be aggressive and pig induced injuries are relatively common in areas where pigs are reared of where they form part of the wild or feral fauna.