Domestic Pig

Fun Facts

Domestic pigs have been raised for meat and hides for thousands of years. They also make excellent pets as they are highly intelligent, clean, and social. People have selectively bred pigs for a variety of unique colors, body shapes, and purposes.

Pigs vary greatly in size. The smallest breed is the Göttingen minipig, which stands 1.5 feet (0.5 meters) at the shoulder and weighs an average of 77 pounds (35 kilograms). The largest breeds, like the Hungarian Mangalica and Poland China, may stand over 2.5 feet (1.2 meters) tall and weigh over 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

Far from being dirty animals, pigs are surprisingly clean. They wallow in mud to protect themselves from sunburn, cool off, and repel biting insects.

Pigs rank among the most intelligent animals in the world. They have excellent memories and recognition skills and are self-aware. They can perform complex tasks, solve problems, identify objects, and work with simple language.

Pigs can run one mile (1.6 kilometers) in seven minutes, scream as loud as a clap of thunder, and have twice as many taste buds as humans. While they have poor vision, their senses of smell and hearing are excellent.