Do you love playing with animals? Well, everyone loves doing this. That’s why people bring a pet into their homes. The same things apply to your children too. As a kid, they loved playing with stuffed animal toys. However, when they grow up, they want to play with real animals. So a few parents bring a pair of puppies, kittens, or birds for them.
Similarly, bringing a pair of piglets for them isn’t a bad approach. There are so many fictional pig cartoon characters popular among kids. It includes ‘Porky Pig’ from ‘The Looney Tunes,’ ‘Pumbaa’ from Disney’s ‘Timon and Pumbaa,’ ‘Piglet’ from ‘Winnie the Pooh,’ and others. If you bring piglets for your kids, your child will enjoy quality time with them. A pig won’t bite or scratch your kids like cats and dogs.
In his blog, you’ll learn 30 amazing facts about pigs, including their classification and traits that your children will love.
Classification of Pig
Here are the classifications of adorable domestic animal pigs:
- Scientific Name: Sus Scrofa Domesticus.
- Conservation Status: Domestic.
- Average Height: 4.5 ft.
- Average Weight: 350 kg.
- Lifespan:10-15 Years.
Overview of a Pig
A pig is a domestic animal that belongs to the mammal class. The average height of a pig is around 3 to 6 ft. Meanwhile, their weight is around 50 to 350 kg. The secinetfic name of a pig is Sus Scrofa Domestica. Compared to other domestic animals, a pig doesn’t have any thermal sweat glands. Instead of it, they have eccrine sweat glands with apocrine. They try to dissipate the heat by rolling in the mud or water. A few people referred to pigs as a domestic version of wild boar. It’s because they both share similar genes and attributes. However, scientists disagreed as both are different species.
The pigs have almost 44 teeth, and their snouts consist of a prenasal bone and cartilage disks. It helps them to find food by digging into the soil deeply. The genome of a pig has over 22,000 protein genes. As per several research, scientists acclaimed that pigs are smarter than humans. In addition, they have better smelling and hearing abilities than a dog.
Amazing Facts About Pigs
Here are the 30 facts about pigs that your kids must know:
1. Pigs have a Large-Sized Head
Generally, pigs are famous for their typical large-size head. In addition, their nose, which is known as the snout, is also long. Their snouts are connected with a prenasal bone that helps them to dig deeper into the soil. It helps them to find food easily.
The pig’s snore is also strengthened by a cartilage disk that helps in sensing the food. They have over 40 teeth that help them to crush any hard foods. The canine teeth can be transformed into a pair of tusks. However, it is seen among the male pigs, which grow continuously as they grow up.
2. Piglets have 4 Legs
Pigs have four legs, and hoofed toes strengthen each. The central toes are larger and have the most weight. Contrarily, their outer toes are lighter and help them to walk adequately on the ground. In a few regions, like South Asia, pigs’ skins are covered with hair. They are called bristled, sparse hair.
Similarly, in other regions, you can also observe a group of pigs that has wooly-coated skins. Those breeds are known as ‘Mangalitsa.’ They are commonly found in Hungary and Romania. The bristled hair can increase the weight of a pig up to 350 kg.
3. Pigs have Eccrine Sweat Glands and Apocrine
The pigs are blessed with eccrine sweat glands. Apart from that, they also have apocrine glands that are seen in their nasal areas or snouts. They don’t have thermal sweat glands like other mammals, such as elephants, cows, rhinos, and buffaloes.
Pigs also cannot dissipate the heat like other mammals through the mouth. A pig tries to control its body temperature by lying around or rolling in the mud or water. The skin of a pig can tolerate up to 22 degree Celsius. Thus, in additional temperatures, they try to evaporate themselves by rolling around. It also benefits them from sunburn.
4. Pigs are Herbivores
Pigs are not only a domestic animal or a mammal but also a herbivore. They love eating fruits, vegetables, grass, leaves, and roots. Their body consists of nicotinic receptor mutations that create a safeguard against snake venom. This mutation is also seen among mongooses, hedgehogs, and ratels. The mutation helps them to generate anti-venom ability. It includes four separate, independent mutations.
In addition, the pigs have small-sized lungs (smaller than their body). It can cause pneumonia and bronchitis. Otherwise, a pig can live up to 15 years. In certain regions, the pigs have an average lifespan of 20+ years.
5. Pigs Follow Omnivore Diet
As a pig is a herbivore, they follow an omnivore diet. Their natural habitat is forests and grassland. Generally, the pigs have pink and grey skins. In a few places, you may observe white, black, and brown pigs. The genome of the pig has over 22,000 protein genes.
A few people called pigs a subspecies of a wild boar. The pigs and the boars have almost similar characteristics. People also refer to pigs as domestic boars and boars as wild pigs. They both are herbivores and mammals with similar genes. However, the scientists treated them as different animals for several reasons.
6. Female Pigs Can Give Birth to 12 Piglets at Once
The female pigs can give birth to piglets 18 months after they are born. Not only wild boars but pigs almost share similar attributes as humans physiologically and anatomically. A few scientists acclaimed that pigs are smarter than dogs after completing several research.
A pig can give birth to 12 to 15 piglets at once. They have a strong smell and hearing sense, like a dog. Their large-size snouts and ears help them in the process. Pigs are social, domestic animals who can live with other domestic animals, like cows, horses, buffaloes, sheep, goats, etc, on the same farm.
7. Pig Loves Kneading
Like a cat, a pig loves kneading. However, the process for pigs is called rooting. A pig loves rooting. As they are a socially friendly species, they can cuddle with other pigs and animals through rooting. They use their snouts in this process. It also assists them to dig in the soil and find their foods.
However, the presence of cartilage makes their nose sharper. Thus, too much rooting can cause harm to other animals. During the summertime, a pig transforms into a combination of wild herbivores and carnivores. They roll in the mud and keep themselves cool. They do this process like wild animals.
8. Historical Facts About Pigs
A few archeologists acclaimed that pigs are derived from wild boars. According to them, a wild boar and a pig have almost similar traits and physical attributes. The people in New Guineas found a species that looked like boar almost 11,000 years ago near Cyprus.
Later after 3000 years, China domesticated the pigs in their mainland. From that time, pigs become one of the most popular domestic animals across Asia and Europe. It is one of the most unknown facts about pigs. Even a few archeologists found ancient pottery items that have a similar shape to a pig’s swine and snout.
9. Pig-Shaped Ancient Sculptures
The archeologists discovered several bronze sculptures that have a similar shape to a pig. According to them, it is from the Bronze Age times. They found a few pig-shaped sculptures that have unique teeth and jawbones. The archeologists compared the sculptures with wild boars that are commonly found in the East and Northern European regions.
However, modern pigs don’t have those unique physiological attributes. A few archeologists also acclaimed that the Asian pigs entered the European and American regions in the late 18th or early 19th century. From that period, the population of pigs has increased in North American and European regions.
10. Pig vs Boar
The archeologists commenced research on 100 pigs in 2015 to evaluate the information based on domestication. From that research, it is derived that a few pigs from several parts of Asia are domesticated in the European and North American region. They also pointed out the fact that a few pigs have been crossbred with wild boar. However, the scientists didn’t agree with that fact.
According to scientists, boars, and pigs are two different animals, even though they have the same physical attributes. In 2019, a few groups of archeologists claimed that pigs came to this world almost 8,000 years ago. Meanwhile, the wild boars came 3,000 years ago.
11. Population of Pigs is More than a Billion
During the 16th century, the Spanish troops introduced the pigs on the coast of Chile. Later, the pigs were domesticated in the entire South American region. At the same time, a few Spanish explorers domesticated the pigs in North American countries, like the USA, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, etc. As the population of pigs started increasing in the Southeast region of the United States, the authorities decided to migrate them.
Thus several pigs have been domesticated in Australia and New Zealand. According to scientists and veterinarians, pigs are one of the most domesticated mammals at present. They also acclaimed that currently, there are more than 1 billion pigs alive.
12. Eight Breeds of Pigs
There are almost eight breeds of pigs alive in the present world. Tamworth is one of them. They are cute and rare breeds. Tamworth pigs originated from the British region in the early 19th century. Later in the 1880s, they were imported into the Northern American regions.
Currently, they are commonly found in the USA and Canada. Vietnamese pot-bellied is also one of the cute and popular breeds. They originated in Vietnam. However, they were imported to the North American region in the 20th century. At present, so many people in the USA have this breed as a pet.
13. Interesting Facts About Pigs
Pigs don’t have any thermal sweat glands like other domestic animals, like cows, buffaloes, and horses. Instead of thermal glands, they have eccrine sweat glands with apocrine. So they roll down in the mud or water to keep themselves cool. The temperature that a pig can tolerate must not exceed 22 degrees Celsius. Even though they roll down in the mud to avoid sunburn, they are clean animals.
Many veterinarians acclaimed that a pig keeps themselves away from toilets or sanitary places. A few scientists acclaimed that pigs are smarter than dogs and have almost the same strong smelling and listening abilities.
14. Pigs Love Rolling in The Mud
Pigs love rolling down in the mud as they don’t have any thermal sweat glands. They try to cool them down with the lower portion of their outer body. A few pigs also have bristles hair on tier skins. In this case, the eccrine sweat glands and apocrine benefit them in a lively manner. They found this process funny.
A few people also call the pigs hogs and swine. They refer to the female pigs as sows. As it is acclaimed that wild boars are the ancestors of pigs, a few people call male pigs boars or domestic boars.
15. Pigs Behave Like Carnivore and Wild Herbivore in Summer
Sometimes a pig behaves like a combination of a wild herbivore and a carnivore. When the temperature rises to 23 degrees Celsius, a pig goes into the mud and behaves like a wild animal. It’s the time when they are cooling themselves. The pigs are forced to do this process naturally for the absence of sweat glands.
During the cooling process, the pigs coated themselves completely in mud. They stayed there for almost two hours. In other words, mud is a sunscreen for the pigs. The mud also prevents the pigs from getting affected by harmful parasites. They do this activity frequently during the summer.
16. Pigs Use Rooting for Several Reasons
A pig loves rooting; it is one of the most instinctual behaviors that is seen among pigs. A pig commences this activity with their snouts. The process is similar to a cat’s kneading. Not only with humans and dogs, but a pig also shares the same characteristics as cats.
A pig loves cuddling with other pigs and animals. They are socially friendly animals and can live with other domestic animals on a farm. It includes cows, goats, sheep, horses, etc. The pigs do the rooting to find food deep inside the soil. According to a few veterinarians, the pigs communicate while using the rooting method.
17. Mother Pigs Care for Piglets Like a Human
As mentioned, pigs are as smarter as humans, so they care for their children in the same ways as humans. The mother pigs sing songs for her piglets. Like dogs, pigs also loves human back. Thus, people refer to pigs as cute mammals and adorable domestic animals. They are emotionally strong like human beings. There are almost eight breeds of pigs exist in the world.
Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are very familiar in the United States. Irish fishermen think the pig is a symbol of misfortune or tragedy. It’s not true, as the organs of a pig can save a human life, surprisingly.
18. Pigs are Smarter than Dogs
A few scientists acclaimed that pigs are smarter than dogs. Not only that, they also said that pigs are the smartest domestic animal. At present, there are more than 1 billion pigs exist in the world. They are present on six continents (they are not available in Antarctica).
As per the Chinese zodiac, the pig signifies the meaning of fortune, happiness, honesty, and virility. In a few regions, a few pigs can live up to 20 years. It is assumed that pigs are also as faithful as dogs. A few farmers use pigs as their guard animals, along with dogs and donkeys.
19. Adorable Facts About Pigs
Although they cool themselves by rolling in the mud, people refer to the pigs as one of the cutest domestic animals. Each year on 1st of March is celebrated as ‘National Pig Day.’ Everyone celebrates this day with their pigs and piglets. Like cats and dogs, a pig loves cuddling.
Apart from that, they love listening to music and enjoy getting back scratched. They also enjoy it when they get a massage, and it helps them to relax. As pigs are socially friendly animals, they can create a strong bond with other domestic animals. It may include dogs, cats, cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, etc.
20. Pigs Build Nests
Like birds, the pigs also love building a nest. It is an unknown fact about pigs, but it is one of their behavioral attributes. A female pig digs the soil and creates a nest. Then they give birth to cute piglets.
At first, they dig the soil of the same size as their body. After that, female pigs collect a few elements like leaves, branches, and twigs. They complete this process with their snouts and dig a hole that is 2 meters deep. During farrowing, a pig turns into a combination of wild herbivores and carnivores. The process of nest building has two phases.
21. Pigs Get Bored Easily
Like human beings, pigs can get bored easily if they live in a monotonous environment. During this time, they want to gain new experiences. In other words, they want themselves to keep happy. Although, they are not very fans of loud or noisy places. They hate the sounds of dogs barking and cats arguing.
Pigs keep each other warm by cuddling with each other. This is one of the most adorable facts about pigs. It helps them to ensure a comfortable place. Like dogs and cats, a pig also snuggles with other pigs and animals. Snuggling is also another behavioral trait of a pig.
22. Facts About Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pigs
Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are very popular in the United States. They are known as the miniature pig breed. So many people have owned Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs as their pets since the mid-20th century. It is assumed that these types of pigs are not only adorable but also desirable pets. They can entertain you positively. Aside from that, you can train them like a dog.
Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs are more intelligent than other pig breeds and also companionable. However, they love to play in an outdoor space more than the indoor one. These types of pigs are also kid-friendly, and they won’t bite or scratch your children.
23. Facts About Tamworth Pigs
Like Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Tamworth is also the cutest pig breed. Generally, they originated from the British region. Nowadays, they are also very popular in the United States and Canada. The color of their skin and hair is fresh or red-gold. Their maximum weight is around 320 kg. Tamworth pigs are blessed with prick ears and long snouts.
Along with that, their skin coat is long and brown. According to experts, these types of breeds are very rare. Tamworth pigs have narrow backs, but their legs and neck are long. Their maximum height is less than 2.5 ft.
24. Pigs Use Different Ways to Communicate
Pigs of any breed can communicate while grunting and rooting in the ground. A pig uses almost 20 ways to communicate with other pigs. It is not observed in any other domestic or wild animals. Not only are they smarter, but the pigs are also good at memorizing.
A pig can remember certain things for a couple of years. It may include a particular place, particular people, or a special food item. In the Bahamas, there are numerous pigs will roam around the beaches. You may observe them swimming in the sea. If you’ve got a swimming pool at your home, you can ask your pig to swim.
25. Facts About Piglets
The babies of pigs are called piglets. A female pig can give birth to almost 10 to 12 piglets at once. Generally, a female pig can give birth to piglets twice in the same year. The female pigs build a nest on the soil with their snouts and give birth to their babies. Female pigs carry their babies in their wombs for almost three months.
A piglet was born with a weight of 1.14 kg, and it started increasing after a week. Piglets are as cute as puppies and kittens. They can easily play with your kids.
26. Piglets are Smarter than Puppies
Piglets are smarter than a puppy or a kitten. You can train them precisely and in the same way as you train your puppy. They are intelligent and can easily adapt to any environment. So, decide their names soon after they are born. The female pigs communicate with their babies while grouting in the soil.
Pigs are known for the nursing process. They can communicate with their babies while engaging in this activity. It is assumed that pigs have their specific teat, and they take care of their babies during nursing. The piglets can run at a speed of 11 miles per hour.
27. Mother Pigs Sing Songs for Their Babies
During the nursing process, the mother pig sings songs to their piglets. It’s very adorable. The mother pig commences the nursing process for three or five weeks. This mother uses this process forwardly between 50 to 60 minutes.
Piglets can run and walk soon after they are born. It may not be observed in any other domestic or wild animals. Their eyes also grow soon after they come into this world like human babies. They are sensitive and feel cold frequently. Thus, a piglet snuggles with other piglets or with their mother. They will also dig out a hole to keep themselves warm. The piglets consume milk every 60 minutes.
28. Piglets have a Great Sense of Vision
Like adult pigs, the piglets also have a great sense of vision. They have a binocular vision of around 35 degrees and a panoramic vision of around 300 degrees. Piglets have color vision that is absent in other animals. It’s because the pigs have cone cells in their retina, including wavelength sensitivities.
Not only vision, but the piglets also have an adequate smelling sense like the adult pigs. They can smell any food while rooting on the soil along with their mother. Aside from that, piglets can also develop hearing abilities in just two weeks after their birth.
29. Can Gain Hearing, Walking, and Viewing Ability Soon After Birth
As the piglets build their hearing abilities, they run where their mother sounds or grunts. They grunt while communicating with their mother. A piglet can gain double the weight within a week. Not only that, they can walk and see soon after they are born.
As a result, they go away from their nests and use the toilet separately. No wonder why they are called the smartest domestic animals. If you call them by a particular name after two weeks, they will remember and respond to it. Piglets are calm and cute, but if they feel any danger, they might start to act aggressively.
30. Piglets Feel Separation Anxiety Like Human Babies
The piglets want to sleep next to each other when they’re in deep sleep. Like human beings, they can dream. Similarly, like human babies, the piglets want to ensure the touch of their family members or companions. It may help them to get rid of separation anxiety.
However, piglets do this process with their noses, aka snouts. Just like puppies and kittens, a piglet also enjoys it when you rub their bodies or scratch their back. They found this activity playful and amusing manner.
Summing It Up
Not only the kids but also the adults love playing with a pet. Humans love to have an adorable pet in their house. Thus, they bring birds, puppies, kittens, or hamsters to their homes.
Similarly, you can bring a couple of piglets into your home as a pet. No matter how friendly a dog or a cat is, there’s a chance that they can bite your kids. Meanwhile, if you bring a few piglets, you are mitigating the chance of that risk.
Pigs are socially cute herbivores and domestic animals who can live with other animals. They are intelligent, smarter, and friendly creatures. Like dogs and cats, they also love cuddling and belly rubs.
So, why not bring a couple of piglets for your kids? Which fact from the above do you find more surprising? Let us know in the comments.
