Pig

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the genus. For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation).
Pig
Sus Barbatus, the Bornean Bearded Pig (12616351323).jpg
Bornean bearded pig at the London Zoo.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass:
Theria
Infraclass:
Eutheria
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Subfamily:
Suinae
Genus: Sus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
See text
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-t
oed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig and its ancestor, the common Eurasi
an wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species; related creatures outside t
he genus include the peccary, the babirusa, and the warthog. Pigs, like all suid
s, are native to the Eurasian and African continents. Juvenile pigs are known as
piglets.[1] Pigs are highly social and intelligent animals.[2]
With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domesticated pig is one
of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.[3][4] Pigs are omnivores and
can consume a wide range of food, similar to humans.[5] Pigs can harbour a range
of parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Because of the sim
ilarities between pigs and humans, pigs are used for human medical research.[6]
Contents [hide]
1
Etymology
2
Description and behaviour
3
Distribution and evolution
4
Habitat and reproduction
5
Diet and foraging
6
Relationship with humans
7
Species
8
Domestic pigs
9
Cultural and religious reference to pigs
10
Environmental impacts
11
Health issues
12
See also
13
References
14
External links
Etymology
The Online Etymology Dictionary provides anecdotal evidence as well as linguisti
c, saying that the term derives
probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Or
iginally "young pig" (the word for adults was swine). Apparently related to Low
German bigge, Dutch big ("but the phonology is difficult" -- OED). ... Another O
ld English word for "pig" was fearh, related to furh "furrow," from PIE *perk- "
dig, furrow" (source also of Latin porc-us "pig," see pork). "This reflects a wi
despread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" [Rog
er Lass]. Synonyms grunter, porker are from sailors' and fishermen's euphemistic
avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the
fate of the Gadarene swine, who drowned.[7]

The Online Etymology Dictionary also traces the evolution of sow, the term for a
female pig, through various historical languages:
Old English sugu, su "female of the swine," from Proto-Germanic *su- (cognates:
Old Saxon, Old High German su, German Sau, Dutch zeug, Old Norse syr), from PIE
root *su- (cognates: Sanskrit sukarah "wild boar, swine;" Avestan hu "wild boar;
" Greek hys "swine;" Latin sus "swine," swinus "pertaining to swine;" Old Church
Slavonic svinija "swine;" Lettish sivens "young pig;" Welsh hucc, Irish suig "s
wine; Old Irish socc "snout, plowshare"), possibly imitative of pig noise, a not
ion reinforced by the fact that Sanskrit sukharah means "maker of (the sound) su
.[8]
It is entirely likely that the word to call pigs, "soo-ie," is similarly derived
.
Description and behaviour
A typical pig has a large head with a long snout which is strengthened by a spec
ial prenasal bone and by a disk of cartilage at the tip.[9] The snout is used to
dig into the soil to find food and is a very acute sense organ. There are four
hoofed toes on each trotter (foot), with the two larger central toes bearing mos
t of the weight, but the outer two also being used in soft ground.[10]
The dental formula of adult pigs is
3.1.4.3
3.1.4.3
, giving a total of 44 teeth. The rear teeth are adapted for crushing. In the ma
le the canine teeth form tusks, which grow continuously and are sharpened by con
stantly being ground against each other.[9]
Occasionally, captive mother pigs may savage their own piglets, often if they be
come severely stressed.[11] Some attacks on newborn piglets are non-fatal. Other
s may cause the death of the piglets and sometimes, the mother may eat the pigle
ts. It is estimated that 50% of piglet fatalities are due to the mother attackin
g, or unintentionally crushing, the newborn pre-weaned animals.[12]
Distribution and evolution
Domesticated pig
Pig in a bucket
With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domesticated pig is one
of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.[13][14]
The ancestor of the domesticated pig is the wild boar, which is one of the most
numerous and widespread large mammals. Its many subspecies are native to all but
the harshest climates of continental Eurasia and its islands and Africa as well
, from Ireland and India to Japan and north to Siberia. Although it has been ext
erminated in some areas, its numbers are stable, or even increasing rapidly, in
most of its native range.[citation needed]
Long isolated from other pigs on the many islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and th
e Philippines, pigs have evolved into many different species, including wild boa
r, bearded pigs, and warty pigs. Humans have introduced pigs into Australia, Nor
th and South America, and numerous islands, either accidentally as escaped domes
tic pigs which have gone feral, or as wild boar. These have typically adapted we
ll, and are increasing in number and broadening their range outside human contro
l.[citation needed]
Habitat and reproduction

The wild pig (Sus scrofa) can take advantage of any forage resources. Therefore,
it can live in virtually any productive habitat that can provide enough water t
o sustain large mammals such as pigs. If there is increased foraging of wild pig
s in certain areas, it can cause a nutritional shortage which can cause the pig
population to decrease. If the nutritional state returns to normal, the pig popu
lation will most likely rise due to the pigs' naturally increased reproduction r
ate.[15]
Diet and foraging
Pigs are omnivores, which means that they consume both plants and animals. In th
e wild, they are foraging animals, primarily eating leaves, grasses, roots, frui
ts, and flowers. In confinement, pigs are fed mostly corn and soybean meal[citat
ion needed] with a mixture of vitamins and minerals added to the diet. Tradition
ally they were raised on dairy farms and called "mortgage lifters" due to their
ability to use the excess milk as well as whey from cheese and butter making com
bined with pasture.[16] Older pigs will consume three to five gallons of water p
er day.[17]
Relationship with humans
A pig trained to find truffles.
Domesticated pigs, called swine, are raised commercially for meat (generally cal
led pork, hams, gammon or bacon), as well as for leather. Their bristly hairs ar
e also used for brushes. Due to their common use as livestock, adult swine have
gender specific names: the males are boars and the females are sows. In Britain,
the word hog can refer to a castrated adult male pig.[18] Young swine are calle
d piglets or pigs. Pork is one of the most popular forms of meat for human consu
mption, accounting for 38% of worldwide meat production.[19]
Pigs that are allowed to forage may be watched by swineherds. Because of their f
oraging abilities and excellent sense of smell, they are used to find truffles i
n many European countries.
Both wild and feral pigs are commonly hunted. Some breeds of pig, such as the As
ian pot-bellied pig, are kept as pets. There are two instances in the 2000s wher
e farm hogs ate human beings. The first was in 2004 in Romania, where a woman di
ed after her ears, half of her face and her fingers were consumed;[20] the other
in 2012 in Oregon whether the farmer was killed by his hogs or died of another ca
use before being consumed is unknown.[21]
Species
Pig 'oink'
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Oink!
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Bearded pigs (Sus barbatus)
The genus Sus is currently thought to contain ten living species. A number of ex
tinct species ( ) are known from fossils.
Sus ahoenobarbus Huet, 1888
Palawan bearded pig
Sus australis Han, 1987
Early Pleistocene of China
Sus barbatus Mller, 1838
Bornean bearded pig
Sus bijiashanensis Han et al., 1975
Early Pleistocene of China
Sus bucculentus Heude, 1892
Heude's Pig or Indo-Chinese (or Vietnam) warty pig
Sus cebifrons Heude, 1888 Visayan warty pig
Sus celebensis Mller & Schlegel, 1843 Celebes warty pig or Sulawesi warty pig
Sus falconeri
Pleistocene of the Siwalik region, India
Sus houi Qi et al., 1999
Pleistocene of China

Sus hysudricus
Sus jiaoshanensis Zhao, 1980
Early Pleistocene of China
Sus liuchengensis Han, 1987
Early Pleistocene of China
Sus lydekkeri Zdansky, 1928
Pleistocene of China
Sus offecinalis Koenigswald, 1933
China
Sus oliveri Groves, 1997 Oliver's warty pig or Mindoro warty pig
Sus peii Han, 1987
Early Pleistocene of China
Sus philippensis Nehring, 1886 Philippine warty pig
Sus scrofa Wild boar Linnaeus, 1758
Sus scrofa domestica Erxleben, 1777
Domestic pig (sometimes treated as a full sp
ecies)
Sus subtriquetra Xue, 1981
Sus strozzi
Sus verrucosus Boie, 1832
Javan warty pig
Sus xiaozhu Han et al., 1975
Early Pleistocene of China
The pygmy hog, formerly Sus salvanius is now placed in the monotypic genus Porcu
la.[22]
Domestic pigs
Swedish pig farmer with piglet. Early 20th century
Green glazed toilet with pigsty model. China, Eastern Han dynasty 25 - 220 CE.
Main article: Domestic pig
Pigs have been domesticated since ancient times in the Old World. Archaeological
evidence suggests that pigs were being managed in the wild in a way similar to
the way they are managed by some modern New Guineans from wild boar as early as
13,000 12,700 BP in the Near East in the Tigris Basin.[23] Remains of pigs have be
en dated to earlier than 11,400 BP in Cyprus that must have been introduced from
the mainland which suggests domestication in the adjacent mainland by then.[24]
A separate domestication also occurred in China.[25]
In India, pigs have been domesticated for a long time mostly in Goa and some rur
al areas for pig toilets. This was also done in China. Though ecologically logic
al as well as economical, pig toilets are waning in popularity as use of septic
tanks and/or sewerage systems is increasing in rural areas.
Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by Hernando de Soto
and other early Spanish explorers. Pigs are particularly valued in China and on
certain oceanic islands, where their self-sufficiency allows them to be turned l
oose, although the practice is not without its drawbacks (see environmental impa
ct).
The domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) is usually given the scientific name Su
s scrofa, although some authors call it S. domesticus, reserving S. scrofa for t
he wild boar. It was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Their
coats are coarse and bristly. They are born brownish coloured and tend to turn m
ore grayish coloured with age. The upper canines form sharp distinctive tusks th
at curve outward and upward. Compared to other artiodactyles, their head is rela
tively long, pointed, and free of warts. Their head and body length ranges from
0.9 to 1.8 m (35 to 71 in) and they can weigh between 50 and 350 kg (110 and 770
lb).
In August 2015, a study looked at over 100 pig genome sequences to ascertain the
ir process of domestication. The process of domestication was assumed to have be
en initiated by humans, involved few individuals and relied on reproductive isol
ation between wild and domestic forms. The study found that the assumption of re
productive isolation with population bottlenecks were not supported. The study i
ndicated that pigs were domesticated separately in Western Asia and China, with
Western Asian pigs introduced into Europe where they crossed with wild boar. A m

odel that fitted the data included admixture with a now extinct Ghost population
of wild pigs during the Pleistocene. The study also found that despite back-cro
ssing with wild pigs, the genomes of domestic pigs have strong signatures of sel
ection at DNA loci that affect behavior and morphology. The study concluded that
human selection for domestic traits likely counteracted the homogenizing effect
of gene flow from wild boars and created Domestication islands in the genome. T
he same process may also apply to other domesticated animals.[26] [27]
Pigs are intelligent[28] and can be trained to perform numerous tasks and tricks
.[29] Recently, they have enjoyed a measure of popularity as house pets, particu
larly the dwarf breeds.
Cultural and religious reference to pigs
Main article: Pigs in popular culture
Pigs appear in the traditional and popular arts, media, and cultures of many soc
ieties, where they sometimes carry religious symbolism. In Asia the wild boar is
one of 12 animal images comprising the Chinese zodiac, while in Europe the boar
represents a standard charge in heraldry. In Islam and Judaism pigs and those w
ho handle them are viewed negatively. Pigs are frequently alluded to in folk art
, idioms, metaphors, and proverbs.
Environmental impacts
Domestic pigs that have 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 g
iven rise to large populations of feral pigs in North and South America, Austral
ia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and other areas where pigs are not native. Accidental o
r deliberate releases of pigs into countries or environments where they are an a
lien species have caused extensive environmental change. Their omnivorous diet,
aggressive behaviour, and their feeding method of rooting in the ground all comb
ine to severely alter ecosystems unused to pigs. Pigs will even eat small animal
s and destroy nests of ground nesting birds.[9] The Invasive Species Specialist
Group lists feral pigs on the list of the world's 100 worst invasive species and
says:[30]
Feral pigs (razorbacks) in Florida
Feral pigs like other introduced mammals are major drivers of extinction and eco
system change. They have been introduced into many parts of the world, and will
damage crops and home gardens as well as potentially spreading disease. They upr
oot large areas of land, eliminating native vegetation and spreading weeds. This
results in habitat alteration, a change in plant succession and composition and
a decrease in native fauna dependent on the original habitat.
Health issues
Pigs can harbour a range of parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to hu
mans. These include trichinosis, Taenia solium, cysticercosis, and brucellosis.
Pigs are also known to host large concentrations of parasitic ascarid worms in t
heir digestive tract.[31] According to the USDA fact sheet modern pork can be en
joyed cooked rare at 145 F with pink in the middle.[32] Today trichinellosis infe
ctions from eating undercooked pork are rare in more technologically developed c
ountries due to refrigeration, health laws, and public awareness.[33] Some relig
ious groups have dietary laws that make pork an "unclean" meat, and adherents so
metimes interpret these health issues as validation of their views.[34]
Pigs have health issues of their own. Pigs have small lungs in relation to their
body size and are thus more susceptible than other domesticated animals to fata
l bronchitis and pneumonia.[35] Some strains of influenza are endemic in pigs (s
ee swine influenza). Pigs also can acquire human influenza.
Pigs can be aggressive in defending themselves and their young. Pig-induced inju

ries are thus not unusual in areas where pigs are raised or where they form part
of the wild or feral fauna