- For other uses, see Pig
(disambiguation).
The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it S.
domesticus, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar. It has been a
domesticated animal for approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years.
The animal is found across Europe, the Middle East and extends into Asia as far as Indonesia and Japan. The distinction between wild and domestic
animals is slight, and domestic pigs have become feral in many parts of the world (for example, New Zealand). Feral pigs can cause substantial environmental damage. The family Suidae also includes
about 12 separate species of wild pig, most also classified in the genus Sus.
Pigs are intelligent animals, and some are kept as pets. Pigs are reportedly more intelligent and more trainable than dogs and
cats. Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by De Soto and other early Spanish explorers, where
escapees became feral and became freely used by Native Americans as
food.
Sus scrofa has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas. They are Sus scrofa scrofa (western
Africa, Europe), Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan), Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India), and
Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia).
Many different words in English identify different types of
pigs:
- Adult male pigs are called boars
- Adult females are called sows
- Juvenile animals are called piglets and farrows
- Young pigs between 100–180 pounds (50 to 90 kg) are called shoats
- A gilt is an immature female pig
- A barrow is a castrated male pig
- Hog is used as a synonym of pig in the United States; in its original
sense it means a castrated boar.
- Swine is a plural noun meaning pigs
Pigs (or swine) that are allowed to forage may be watched by swineherds. A litter of piglets typically contains between 10 and
12 animals. Meat from pigs is called pork (coming from the latin word "porcine") in general
and ham, bacon or bologna when it has been part-preserved by brine or
some other processing. Their trotters are often sold as the jelly-like dish of pig's feet. Hog jowls are a popular soul food. The American pig-raising industry calls pork a white meat, as opposed to beef;
"white meat" (such as poultry) is often considered healthier than "red meat." Both Islam
and Orthodox Judaism forbid the eating of pork in any form, considering it to be an
unclean animal: no form of pig meat can be kosher or halal.
While pigs are raised mostly for meat, their skin is used as a source of leather.
Their bristly hairs are also traditionally used for brushes.
Pigs are omnivores, making them easy to raise: on a small farm or in a large
household they can be fed kitchen scraps as part or all of their diet. Occasionally, in captivity, they eat their own young.
Pigs are among the few mammals not to have sweat glands. Thus they must have access to water or mud to cool themselves during hot weather. Pigs have an
excellent sense of smell, in many European countries they are used in the hunting of
truffles as they are said to smell like the genitalia of a boar.
Miscellaneous
- In ancient Greece, a sow was an appropriate sacrifice to Demeter and had been her
favorite animal since she had been the Great Goddess of archaic times. Initiates at the Eleusinian Mysteries began by sacrificing a pig.
- The English language abounds with unflattering references and idioms involving
pigs. Pigs are commonly associated with greed ("as greedy as a pig"), obesity, gluttony ("to pig out") and sloth ("a lazy pig"). Likewise, a hog is someone or something that monopolizes time, resources,
or processes, e.g. a road hog or server hog. Pigs are also associated with dirtiness ("this room is a pigsty"); the
latter probably comes from their habit of wallowing in mud. The perenially soot-covered character in the Peanuts comic strip is named Pig-Pen. "Pig" is also used as a derogatory slang term for a police officer.
- Pig iron is so named because the smolten iron ore was once poured into molds resembling rows of suckling pigs.
- The familiar piggybank got its name
and shape as a result of a pun on the word pygg, a type of clay commonly used to produce household items
in the 18th Century.
- A pig's orgasm can last for up to half an hour, producing up to a pint of semen.
- pigs are one of the few animals that can become sun-burned
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