The Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus or Sus domesticus) is an even-toed ungulate mammal. It is an artiodactyl.

The Pig has a stout body with sparse bristles (hair) on its skin. It has hardly any hair, and it is considered to be hairless (like the elephant and rhinoceros). It has a long, pointed head with a snout. It has 44 teeth (humans have 32 teeth). It is an ungulate – hoofed feet – with two toes on each foot.

 

It measures 90-180 centimetres (35-71 inches) long.

The Pig is found all over the world, but it mainly prefers temperate climates. It is terrestrial and diurnal – it lives on the ground and is active during the day. It likes to live in groups of about 8-15 individuals. They like to wallow in mud, but they do not submerge themselves completely.

The Pig is intelligent and can be trained to learn to do tasks (even faster than the dog can learn to do tricks). Scientists think that the Pig is the fourth most intelligent animal in the world (the first three are the chimpanzee, dolphin, and elephant).

The Pig is omnivorous, which means that it eats every type of food, such as leaves, roots, fruit, and flowers. Wild Pigs are herbivorous, eating plants. Its snout is used to dig into the soil to find food.

Males, called boars, and females, called sows, mate for life. Females make a hollow depression in the ground and fill their nest with twigs, grass, and leaves. Females are pregnant for 112-120 days, before giving birth to 6-12 young, called piglets. Females nurse their piglets with milk from her mammary glands.

 

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM