Pig Facts

Pigs are very clever and interesting animals. Here are some facts you may not have known about them.

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  1. Pigs are very intelligent and learn very quickly.
  2. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell.
  3. Pigs can not sweat because they have no sweat glands. They roll around in the mud to cool their skins.
  4. Pigs are some of the cleanest animals around, refusing to mess anywhere near their living or eating areas when given a choice.
  5. Many of the pig's anatomical/physiological features are similar to humans.
  6. A female can give birth to 10 or more piglets.
  7. Pigs usually give birth to about two pig litters a year.
  8. A young female pig is called a gilt. After a gilt has given birth, she is called a sow.
  9. Male pigs are either boars or barrows. Boars are male pigs that are capable of producing offspring. Barrows are male pigs that have been neutered and are not capable of reproducing.
  10. The young of a boar and sow is a piglet or pig.
  11. When a sow gives birth, it is called farrowing. A sow gives birth to a group of 8-12 piglets, called a litter.
  12. When a pig is about 6 months old and at market weight (around 113 kilograms), it is called a hog.
  13. Meat from a swine is called pork.
  14. Heart valves from pigs are used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves.
  15. A baby pig, or piglet, weighs about 1.5 kilograms at birth and will double its weight in just 7 days.
  16. Swine research led to the development of the CAT scan, a technology for examining internal organs without surgery.
  17. A pig can run a 7 minute mile.
  18. Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world.

 
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