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{{Short description|Genus of even-toed ungulates}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Automatic taxobox
:''Shoat redirects here; for the sheep/goat hybrid, see ].''
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Early Pleistocene|Recent|] to recent}}
| image = Sus Barbatus, the Bornean Bearded Pig (12616351323).jpg
| image_caption = ] (''Sus barbatus'')
| taxon = Sus
| authority = ], ]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
| range_map =
| range_map_caption =
| type_species = '']''<ref>{{cite journal |author1=International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature |title=Opinion 75. Twenty-Seven Generic Names of Protozoa, Vermes, Pisces, Reptilia and Mammalia Included in the Official List of Zoological Names |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |date=1922 |volume=73 |issue=1 |pages=35–37 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8910949}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758
}}


'''''Sus''''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|uː|s}}) is the ] of domestic and wild '''pigs''', within the ] family ]. ''Sus'' include ]s (''Sus domesticus'') and their ancestor, the common Eurasian ] (''Sus scrofa''), along with other species. ''Sus'' species, like all ], are native to the ], ranging from Europe to the Pacific islands.
{{Taxobox_begin | color = pink | name = Domesticated Pig}}
{{Taxobox_image | image = ] | caption = Sow with piglet}}
{{Taxobox_begin_placement | color = pink}}
{{Taxobox_regnum_entry | taxon = ]ia}}
{{Taxobox_phylum_entry | taxon = ]}}
{{Taxobox_classis_entry | taxon = ]ia}}
{{Taxobox_ordo_entry | taxon = ]}}
{{Taxobox_familia_entry | taxon = ]}}
{{Taxobox_genus_entry | taxon = '']''}}
{{Taxobox_species_entry | taxon = '''''S. domesticus'''''}}
{{Taxobox_end_placement}}
{{Taxobox_section_binomial | color = pink | binomial_name = Sus scrofa | author = ] | date = ]}}
{{Taxobox_begin_synonyms | color = pink}}
{{Taxobox_synonym_entry_simple | binomial_name = Sus domesticus}}
{{Taxobox_end_synonyms}}
{{Taxobox_end}}
The domestic '''pig''' is usually given the scientific name ''Sus scrofa'', though some authors call it ''S. domesticus'', reserving ''S. scrofa'' for the ]. It has been a ] for approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years. The animal is found across ], the ] and extends into ] as far as ] and ]. The distinction between wild and domestic animals is slight, and domestic pigs have become feral in many parts of the world (for example, ]). Feral pigs can cause substantial environmental damage. The family Suidae also includes about 12 separate species of wild pig, most also classified in the genus ''Sus''.


Juvenile pigs are known as piglets.<ref>{{cite web|date=31 August 2012|title=Piglet|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piglet|access-date=15 September 2013|publisher=]}}</ref> Pigs live in complex social groups and are considered one of the more intelligent mammals, as reflected in their ability to learn.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Angier|first=Natalie|date=9 November 2009|title=Pigs Prove to Be Smart, if Not Vain|language=en-US|work=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10angier.html|access-date=|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Pigs are one of the most ] animals, and some are kept as ]s. Pigs are reportedly more intelligent and more trainable than ]s and ]s. Pigs were brought to southeastern ] from Europe by ] and other early ] explorers, where escapees became feral and became freely used by ] as food.


With around 1 billion of this species alive at any time, the domestic pig is among the most populous large mammals in the world.<ref name="PSD Online - Custom Query">{{cite web|title=PSD Online|url=http://www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdQuery.aspx|url-status=dead|publisher=]|access-date=2008-08-17|archive-date=2010-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018161749/http://www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdQuery.aspx}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=14 October 2011|title=Swine Summary Selected Countries|url=http://www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdReport.aspx?hidReportRetrievalName=Swine+Summary+Selected+Countries&hidReportRetrievalID=1649&hidReportRetrievalTemplateID=7|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329181120/http://www.fas.usda.gov/psdonline/psdReport.aspx?hidReportRetrievalName=Swine+Summary+Selected+Countries&hidReportRetrievalID=1649&hidReportRetrievalTemplateID=7|archive-date=29 March 2012|publisher=] ]|via=]}}</ref> Pigs are ]s and can consume a wide range of food.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kantharidis|first=Billy|date=27 June 2014|title=Pig And Human Digestive System|url=https://prezi.com/-hqscyhayi5x/pig-and-human-digestive-system/|access-date=15 April 2016|publisher=]}}</ref> Pigs are biologically similar to humans and are thus ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Grush|first=Loren|date=9 May 2014|title=Why pigs are so valuable for medical research|url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/why-pigs-are-so-valuable-for-medical-research|access-date=15 April 2016|publisher=]}}</ref>
''Sus scrofa'' has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas. They are ''Sus scrofa scrofa'' (western Africa, Europe), ''Sus scrofa ussuricus'' (northern Asia and Japan), ''Sus scrofa cristatus'' (Asia Minor, India), and ''Sus scrofa vittatus'' (Indonesia).


==Etymology==
Many different words in ] identify different types of pigs:
The '']'' provides anecdotal evidence as well as linguistic, saying that the term derives
*Adult male pigs are called "boars".
*Adult females are called "sows".
*Juvenile animals are called "piglets" and "farrows".
*Young pigs between 100&ndash;180 pounds (50 to 90&nbsp;kg) are called "shoats".
*A "gilt" is an immature female pig.
*A "barrow" is a castrated male pig.
*"Hog" is used as a synonym of "pig" in the ]; in its original sense it means a castrated boar.
*"Swine" is a plural noun meaning pigs


<blockquote>probably from Old English {{Lang|ang|*picg}}, found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Originally "young pig" (the word for adults was ''swine''). Apparently related to ] {{Lang|de|bigge}}, ] {{Lang|nl|big}} ("but the phonology is difficult" -- '']''). ... Another Old English word for "pig" was {{Lang|ang|fearh}}, related to ''{{Lang|ang|furh}}'' "furrow," from ] *''perk''- "dig, furrow" (source also of Latin {{Lang|la|porc-us}} "pig," see ''pork''). "This reflects a widespread ] tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" . Synonyms ''grunter'', ''oinker'' are from sailors' and fishermen's euphemistic avoidance of uttering the word pig at sea, a superstition perhaps based on the fate of the ], who drowned.<ref name="Etym Pig">{{cite web |title=Pig |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/pig |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=]}}</ref></blockquote>
Pigs (or swine) that are allowed to forage may be watched by swineherds. A litter of piglets typically contains between 10 and 12 animals. Meat from pigs is called ] (coming from the Latin words "porcinus" and "porcus"). Their trotters are often sold as the jelly-like dish of pig's feet. Hog jowls are a popular ]. The American pig-raising industry calls pork a "white meat" (like poultry) implying it is healthier than "red meat" like beef. Both ] and Orthodox ] forbid the eating of pork in any form, considering it to be an ]: no form of pig meat can be ] or ] (see ]).


The ''Online Etymology Dictionary'' also traces the evolution of '''''sow''''', the term for a female pig, through various historical languages:
While pigs are raised mostly for meat, their skin is used as a source of ]. Their bristly hairs are also traditionally used for brushes.


<blockquote>Old English ''{{Lang|ang|sugu}}'', ''{{Lang|ang|su}}'' "female of the swine," from ] *''su''- (cognates: ], ] ''su'', ] {{Lang|de|Sau}}, ] {{Lang|nl|zeug}}, ] ''{{Lang|non|syr}}''), from ] root *''su''- (cognates: ] {{Transliteration|sa|sukarah}} "wild boar, swine;" ] ''hu'' "wild boar;" ] ''hys'' "swine;" ] {{Lang|nl|sus}} "swine", {{Lang|nl|suinus}} "pertaining to swine"; ] ''{{Lang|cu|svinija}}'' "swine;" ] ''sivens'' "young pig;" ] ''{{Lang|cy|hucc}}'', ] ''{{Lang|ga|suig}}'' "swine; ] ''{{Lang|sga|socc}}'' "snout, plowshare"), possibly imitative of pig noise; note that Sanskrit ''sukharah'' means "maker of (the sound) ''su''".<ref name="Etym Sow">{{Cite web |title=Sow |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/sow |access-date=4 December 2015 |website=]}}</ref></blockquote>
Pigs are ]s, making them easy to raise: on a small farm or in a large household they can be fed kitchen scraps as part or all of their diet. Occasionally, in captivity, they eat their own young.


An adjectival form is ''porcine''. Another ] form (technically for the subfamily rather than genus name) is ''suine'' (comparable to '']'', '']'', etc.); for the family, it is ''suid'' (as with ''bovid'', ''canid'').<ref name="Etym Porcine">{{Cite web |title=Porcine |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/porcine |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=]}}</ref>
Pigs lack ]s. Thus they must have access to water or mud to cool themselves during hot weather. Pigs have an excellent sense of smell, in many ]an countries they are used in the hunting of ] as they are said to smell like the ] of a boar.


==Description and behaviour==
==Miscellaneous==
]'')]]
]
A typical pig has a large head with a long snout that is strengthened by a special prenasal bone and by a disk of ] at the tip.<ref name="ADW Sus scrofa">{{cite web|last=Wickline|first=Kristin|date=2014|title=Sus scrofa|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sus_scrofa.html|publisher=]}}</ref> The snout is used to dig into the soil to find food and is a very acute sense organ. Each foot has four hooves with the two larger central toes bearing most of the weight, and the outer two also being used in soft ground.<ref>{{cite web|author=Kim Lockhart|title=American Wild Game / Feral Pigs / Hogs / Pigs / Wild Boar|url=http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.shooting-hunting-hogs.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823025758/http://gunnersden.com/index.htm.shooting-hunting-hogs.html|archive-date=23 August 2018|access-date=3 December 2018|work=Gunners Den}}</ref>
*In ancient Greece, a sow was an appropriate sacrifice to ] and had been her favorite animal since she had been the Great Goddess of archaic times. Initiates at the ] began by sacrificing a pig.


The ] of adult pigs is {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.4.3|lower=3.1.4.3}}, giving a total of 44 ]. The rear teeth are adapted for crushing. In the male, the canine teeth form ]s, which grow continuously and are sharpened by constantly being ground against each other.<ref name="ADW Sus scrofa"/>
*The '''pig''' is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the ] related to the ]. Believers in ] associate each animal with certain personality traits. See: ].


Occasionally, captive mother pigs may ] their own piglets, often if they become severely stressed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prairieswine.com/pdf/185.pdf|title=Savaging of piglets: A puzzle of maternal behaviour|author=Harris, M., Bergeron, R., Li1, Y. and Gonyou, H.|year=2001|access-date=July 31, 2013}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Some attacks on newborn piglets are non-fatal. Others may kill the piglets and sometimes, the mother may eat them. An estimated 50% of piglet fatalities are due to the mother attacking, or unintentionally crushing, the newborn pre-weaned animals.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lay| first=Dr. Donald C. Jr. |title=MANAGEMENT TIPS TO REDUCE PRE-WEANING MORTALITY|url=http://mark.asci.ncsu.edu/NCPorkConf/2002/lay.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820205736/http://mark.asci.ncsu.edu/NCPorkConf/2002/lay.htm|archive-date=20 August 2007|publisher=North Carolina Pork Conference|via=]}}</ref>
*] is a famous part human, part pig, literary character from the Chinese novel '']''.


==Distribution and evolution==
*The English language abounds with unflattering references and ] involving pigs. Pigs are commonly associated with ] ("as greedy as a pig"), ], ] ("to pig out") and ] ("a lazy pig"). Likewise, a hog is someone or something that monopolizes time, resources, or processes, e.g. a ] or ]. Pigs are also associated with dirtiness ("this room is a pigsty"); the latter probably comes from their habit of wallowing in mud. The perenially soot-covered character in the '']'' ] is named ].
With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the ] is one of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.<ref name="PSD Online - Custom Query"/><ref name=":0" />


The ancestor of the domestic pig is the ], which is one of the most numerous and widespread large mammals. Its many subspecies are native to all but the harshest climates of continental ] and its islands and ] as well, from Ireland and India to Japan and north to Siberia.
*"Pig" is also used as a ] ] term for a ] in more than just the English language.


Long isolated from other pigs on the many islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, pigs have evolved into many different species, including wild boar, bearded pigs, and warty pigs. Humans have introduced pigs into Australia, North and South America, and numerous islands, either accidentally as escaped domestic pigs which have gone ], or as wild boar.
*] is so named because the smolten ] was once poured into molds resembling rows of suckling pigs.


==Habitat and reproduction==
*American ] were originally made from pig skin and are often called ''pigskins''.
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa'') can take advantage of any forage resources. Therefore, they can live in virtually any productive habitat that can provide enough water to sustain large mammals such as pigs. Pigs are famously fecund; when well-fed, a sow can birth twelve or more piglets in her annual litter. If there is increased foraging by wild boars in certain areas, they can cause a nutritional shortage which can cause the pig population to decrease. If the nutritional state returns to normal, the pig population will most likely rise due to the pigs' naturally-increased reproduction rate.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Mayer|first1=John J.|last2=Brisbin| first2=I. Lehr Jr. |date=2009|title=Wild Pigs Biology, Damage, Control Techniques and Management|url=https://fp.auburn.edu/sfws/ditchkoff/PDF%20publications/Food%20Habits%20Chapter%20-%20Wild%20Pig%20Book.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328055143/https://fp.auburn.edu/sfws/ditchkoff/PDF%20publications/Food%20Habits%20Chapter%20-%20Wild%20Pig%20Book.pdf|archive-date=28 March 2014|publisher=]|location=Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina}}</ref>


==Diet and foraging==
*The familiar ] got its name and shape as a result of a ] on the word ], a type of ] commonly used to produce household items in the ].
Pigs are ]s, which means that they consume both plants and animals. In the wild, they are ], searching through their habitat for food (which, for pigs, often includes digging with their snouts). Wild pigs eat roots, tubers, leaves, fruits, mushrooms, and flowers, in addition to some insects (especially insect grubs) and fish. Pigs are famously fond of truffle mushrooms, which grow underground; pigs find them by scent and unearth them with their snouts. In Europe, trained "truffle pigs" find these valuable fungi for humans. Pigs do not hunt, but will readily eat carrion, eggs, and other animal foods that they can find. As livestock, pigs were once fed all manner of mixed household food scraps (called "slops"), but on large modern farms are now fed mostly corn and soybean meal<ref>{{Cite news|title=Diet and Nutrition on Modern Pig Farms|language=en-US|work=|publisher=Pork Cares|url=http://www.porkcares.org/our-practices/day-to-day-animal-health-on-pig-farms/diet-and-nutrition-on-modern-pig-farms/|url-status=dead|access-date=17 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002191925/http://www.porkcares.org/our-practices/day-to-day-animal-health-on-pig-farms/diet-and-nutrition-on-modern-pig-farms/|archive-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> with a mixture of vitamins and minerals added. Traditionally, pigs were raised on dairy farms and fed any excess milk and the ] left over from cheese and butter making. Pigs brought so much extra income to these farms that they earned the nickname "mortgage lifters".<ref>{{cite web|last=Hurt|first=Chris|date=29 November 2004|title=WILL HOGS RECLAIM "MORTGAGE LIFTER" STATUS?|url=http://www.farmdoc.illinois.edu/marketing/weekly/html/112904.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812210419/http://www.farmdoc.illinois.edu/marketing/weekly/html/112904.html|archive-date=12 August 2013|access-date=17 June 2013|work=Farmdoc|publisher=]}}</ref> Older pigs will consume three to five gallons of water per day.<ref>{{cite web|last=Almond|first=Glen W.|title=How Much Water Do Pigs Need?|url=http://www.ncsu.edu/project/swine_extension/healthyhogs/book1995/almond.htm|publisher=]|publication-place=]}}</ref> When kept as pets, the optimal healthy diet consists mainly of a balanced diet of raw vegetables, although some may give their pigs commercial ] pellet feed.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Mini Pig Nutrition|url=https://americanminipigassociation.com/mini-pig-education/mini-pig-nutrition/|access-date=|website=|date=18 September 2014 |publisher=American Mini Pig Association}}</ref>


==Relationship with humans==
*Pigs can become ].
{{Further|Pig farming}}
Most pigs today are ] raised for meat (known as ]). ] breeds are commonly kept as pets.<ref name=":1" /> Because of their foraging abilities and excellent ], people in many European countries use them to find ]s. Both wild and ] pigs are commonly ]ed.


Apart from meat, pig skin is turned into ], and their ]s are used to make brushes. The relatively short, stiff, coarse pig hairs are called ]s, and were once so commonly used in ]es that in 1946 the Australian Government launched ]. In May 1946, in response to a shortage of pig bristles for paintbrushes to paint houses in the post-World War II construction boom, the ] (RAAF) flew in 28 ]s of pig bristles from China, their only commercially available source at the time.<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 May 1946|title=PIG BRISTLES FOR PAINT BRUSHES|page=4|work=]|publisher=]|location=]|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/62886442|access-date=15 April 2016}}</ref>
==See also==


===Use in human healthcare===
*]
{{Main|Domestic pig#In human medical applications}}
*] (not related to the pig)
Human skin is very similar to pig skin, therefore many preclinical studies employ pig skin.<ref name="porcine2018Janu">{{cite web|last=Herron|first=Alan J.|date=5 December 2009|others=American College of Veterinary Pathologists|title=Pigs as Dermatologic Models of Human Skin Disease|url=http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/acvp/2009/Herron.pdf?LA=1|access-date=27 January 2018|website=Ivis|publisher=DVM Center for Comparative Medicine and Department of Pathology Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas|quote=pig skin has been shown to be the most similar to human skin. Pig skin is structurally similar to human epidermal thickness and dermal-epidermal thickness ratios. Pigs and humans have similar hair follicle and blood vessel patterns in the skin. Biochemically pigs contain dermal collagen and elastic content that is more similar to humans than other laboratory animals. Finally pigs have similar physical and molecular responses to various growth factors.}}</ref><ref name="porcine2018Janu2">{{cite web|last1=Liu|first1=J.|last2=Kim|first2=D.|last3=Brown|first3=L.|last4=Madsen|first4=T.|last5=Bouchard|first5=G.F.|title=Comparison of Human, Porcine and Rodent Wound Healing With New Miniature Swine Study Data|url=http://www.sinclairresearch.com/assets/25_Wound-Healing-AALAS-2009.pdf|access-date=27 January 2018|website=|publisher=]|quote=Pig skin is anatomically, physiologically, biochemically and immunologically similar to human skin, and the skin is ‘fixed skin’ like humans and unlike rodents or rabbits.|archive-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127084036/http://www.sinclairresearch.com/assets/25_Wound-Healing-AALAS-2009.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In addition to providing use in biomedical research<ref name=porcine2018Janu/><ref name=porcine2018Janu2/> and for drug testing,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Swindle|first1=M. M.|last2=Makin|first2=A.|last3=Herron|first3=A. J.|last4=Clubb|first4=F. J.|last5=Frazier|first5=K. S.|year=2012|title=Swine as Models in Biomedical Research and Toxicology Testing|journal=]|volume=49|issue=2|pages=344–356|doi=10.1177/0300985811402846|pmid=21441112|doi-access=| issn=0300-9858 }}</ref> genetic advances in human healthcare have provided a pathway for domestic pigs to become ] candidates for humans.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeffery|first1=Simon|date=3 January 2002|title=Pig to Human transplants|newspaper=]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jan/03/qanda.simonjeffery}}</ref>
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]


==Species==
{{listen |filename=Mudchute pig 2.ogg |title=Pig 'oink' |description=Oink! }}
]
The genus ''Sus'' is currently thought to contain nine living species. Several ] species (]) are known from ]s.

=== Extant species ===
{{Species table |genus=Sus |authority-name= ]|authority-year= ] |species-count=nine|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Palawan bearded pig|binomial=]
|image=File:Coron - Calauit Wild Pig.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Huet|authority-year= 1888|authority-not-original=
|range= Philippines
|range-image=File:Range Sus ahoenobarbus.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= NT
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Bornean bearded pig|binomial=]
|image=File:Bartschwein Sus barbatus Tierpark Hellabrunn-6.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Müller |authority-year= 1838|authority-not-original=
|range= Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula
|range-image=File:Range Sus barbatus.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Two subspecies |bullets=on
|''S. b. barbatus'' (the ])
|''S. b. oi'' (western bearded pig)
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Visayan warty pig|binomial=]
|image=File:Visayas-Pustelschwein Sus cebifrons negrinus Tierpark Hellabrunn-1.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Heude |authority-year= 1888|authority-not-original=
|range= Philippines (Cebu, Negros, Panay, Masbate, Guimaras, and Siquijor)
|range-image=File:Sus cebifrons range map.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= CR
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Two subspecies |bullets=on
|] (''Sus cebifrons cebifrons'') (believed to be extinct)
|Negros warty pig (''Sus cebifrons negrinus'').
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Celebes warty pig or Sulawesi warty pig|binomial=]
|image= |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Müller & Schlegel |authority-year= 1843|authority-not-original=
|range= Sulawesi in Indonesia
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Three subspecies |bullets=on
|''Sus celebensis celebensis''
|'']''
|'']''
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Domestic pig|binomial=] (sometimes considered subspecies of ''S.&nbsp;scrofa'')
|image=File:Standing piglet at golden hour in Don Det Laos.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Erxleben |authority-year= 1777|authority-not-original=
|range= Domesticated
|range-image=
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=''
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Oliver's warty pig or Mindoro warty pig|binomial=]
|image= |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Groves |authority-year= 1997|authority-not-original=
|range= Philippines
|range-image=File:Range Sus oliveri.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Philippine warty pig|binomial=]
|image=File:Philippine warty pig (Sus philippensis) in Philippine Eagle Center, Davao, Philippines.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Nehring|authority-year= 1886|authority-not-original=
|range= Philippines
|range-image=File:Range Sus philippensis.png
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= VU
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Three subspecies |bullets=on
| ''S. p. philippensis'' (from ] and nearby islands)
| ''S. p. mindanensis'' (from ], ], and other islands near ])
| ''S. p. oliveri'' (from ])
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Wild boar|binomial=]
|image=File:Sus scrofa cristatus.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=] |authority-year= ]|authority-not-original=
|range= North Africa and much of Eurasia; from the British Isles to Korea and the Sunda Islands.
|range-image=File:Sus scrofa range map.jpg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Fifteen subspecies |bullets=on
|''S. s. scrofa''
|''S. s. algira''
|''S. s. attila''
|''S. s. cristatus''
|''S. s. davidi''
|''S. s. leucomystax''
|''S. s. libycus''
|''S. s. majori''
|''S. s. meridionalis''
|''S. s. moupinensis''
|''S. s. nigripes''
|''S. s. riukiuanus''
|''S. s. sibiricus''
|''S. s. taivanus''
|''S. s. ussuricus''
|''S. s. vittatus''
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Javan warty pig|binomial=]
|image=File:Sus verrucosus in PCBA.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Boie |authority-year= 1832|authority-not-original=
|range= Indonesia
|range-image=File:Sus verrucosus range map.jpg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}
{{Species table/end}}

* The ], formerly ''Sus salvanius'', is now placed in the ] genus '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Funk |first1=Stephan M. |last2=Verma |first2=Sunil Kumar |last3=Larson |first3=Greger |last4=Prasad |first4=Kasturi |last5=Singh |first5=Lalji |last6=Narayan |first6=Goutam |last7=Fa |first7=Julia E. |title=The pygmy hog is a unique genus: 19th century taxonomists got it right first time round |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=November 2007 |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=427–436 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2007.08.007 |pmid=17905601 |bibcode=2007MolPE..45..427F }}</ref>
* The ], formerly ''Sus porcus'', is now placed in the genus '']''.

=== Fossil species ===

* ]'']'' <small>Han, 1987</small> – Early Pleistocene of China
* †'']'' <small>Han ''et al.'', 1975</small> – Early Pleistocene of China
* †'']'' – Pleistocene of the Siwalik region, India
*†'']'' <small>Qi ''et al.'', 1999</small> – Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>Falconer and Cautley 1847</small> – Pliocene of India
*†'']'' <small>Zhao, 1980</small> – Early Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>Han, 1987</small> – Early Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>], 1928</small> – Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>Koenigswald, 1933</small> – Middle Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>Han, 1987</small> – Early Pleistocene of China
*†'']'' <small>Xue, 1981</small>
*†'']'' <small>Forsyth Major, 1881</small>{{Snd}}Pliocene and Early Pleistocene of Europe
*†'']'' <small>Han ''et al.'', 1975</small> – Early Pleistocene of China

==Domestication==
{{Main|Domestic pig}}
Pigs have been ] since ] in the ]. Pigs were domesticated on each end of Eurasia, and possibly several times.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Price |first1=Max |last2=Hongo |first2=Hitomi |title=The archaeology of pig domestication in Eurasia |journal=Journal of Archaeological Research |date=2020 |volume=28 |issue=4 |pages=557–615|doi=10.1007/s10814-019-09142-9 |hdl=1721.1/128524 |s2cid=214309500 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> It is now thought that pigs were attracted to human settlements for the food scraps, and that the process of domestication began as a commensal relationship.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zeder |first1=Melinda |title=The Domestication of Animals |journal=Journal of Anthropological Research |date=2021 |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=161–190|doi=10.3998/jar.0521004.0068.201 |s2cid=85348232 }}</ref> 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 ] in the ] in the Tigris Basin,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rosenberg|first1=M|last2=Nesbitt|first2=R|last3=Redding|first3=RW|last4=Peasnall|first4=BL|year=1998|title=Hallan Cemi, pig husbandry, and post-Pleistocene adaptations along the Taurus-Zagros Arc (Turkey)".|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/paleo_0153-9345_1998_num_24_1_4667|journal=]|volume=24|issue=1|pages=25–41|doi=10.3406/paleo.1998.4667|s2cid=85302206|via=]}}</ref> ], ], ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ottoni|first1=C.|last2=Girdland Flink|first2=L.|last3=Evin|first3=A.|last4=Geörg|first4=C.|last5=De Cupere|first5=B.|last6=Van Neer|first6=W.|last7=Bartosiewicz|first7=L.|last8=Linderholm|first8=A.|last9=Barnett|first9=R.|last10=Peters|first10=J.|last11=Decorte|first11=R.|display-authors=29|date=22 November 2012|title=Pig domestication and human-mediated dispersal in western Eurasia revealed through ancient DNA and geometric morphometrics|journal=]|publication-date=April 2013|volume=30|issue=4|pages=824–832|doi=10.1093/molbev/mss261|pmc=3603306|pmid=23180578|first26=M.|last24=Hongo|first24=H.|last25=Perez-Enciso|first25=M.|last26=Rasmussen|first27=L.|last27=Frantz|first30=M.|last28=Megens|first28=H. J.|first23=R.|first29=R.|last30=Groenen|last29=Crooijmans|last22=Brock|last23=Pinhasi|first16=O.|last12=Waelkens|first12=M.|last13=Vanderheyden|first13=N.|last14=Ricaut|first14=F. X.|last15=Çakırlar|last16=Cevik|last17=Hoelzel|first22=F.|first17=A. R.|last18=Mashkour|first18=M.|last19=Mohaseb Karimlu|first19=A. F.|last20=SheikhiSeno|first20=S.|last21=Daujat|first21=J.|first15=C.}}</ref> Remains of pigs have been 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.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Vigne|first1=JD|last2=Zazzo|first2=A|last3=Saliège|first3=JF|last4=Poplin|first4=F|last5=Guilaine|first5=J|last6=Simmons|first6=A|date=18 August 2009|title=Pre-Neolithic wild boar management and introduction to Cyprus more than 11,400 years ago|journal=]|volume=106|issue=38|pages=16135–16138|bibcode=2009PNAS..10616135V|doi=10.1073/pnas.0905015106|pmc=2752532|pmid=19706455|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Pigs were also domesticated in China, potentially more than once.<ref name="Giuffra">{{cite journal|last1=Giuffra|first1=E|last2=Kijas|first2=J. M.|last3=Amarger|first3=V|last4=Carlborg|first4=O|last5=Jeon|first5=J. T.|last6=Andersson|first6=L|date=April 2000|title=The origin of the domestic pig: independent domestication and subsequent introgression|url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1461048&blobtype=pdf|journal=]|volume=154|issue=4|pages=1785–91|doi=10.1093/genetics/154.4.1785|pmc=1461048|pmid=10747069|via=]|access-date=2009-09-23|archive-date=2020-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728101949/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1461048/pdf/10747069.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In some parts of China pigs were kept in pens from early times, separating them from wild populations and allowing farmers to create breeds that were fatter and bred more quickly.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lander |first1=Brian |last2=Schneider |first2=Mindi |last3=Brunson |first3=Katherine |title=A history of pigs in China: From curious omnivores to industrial pork |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |date=2020 |volume=79 |issue=4 |pages=865–889|doi=10.1017/S0021911820000054 |s2cid=225700922 |url=https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wurpubs/567921 }}</ref> Early Modern Europeans brought these breeds back home and crossed them with their own pigs, which was the origins of most modern pig breeds.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=White |first1=Sam |title=From Globalized Pig Breeds to Capitalist Pigs: A Study in Animal Cultures and Evolutionary History |journal=Environmental History |date=2011 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=94–120|doi=10.1093/envhis/emq143 }}</ref>

In India, pigs have been domesticated for a long time mostly in ] and some ]s for ]s. This practice also occurred in China. Though ecologically logical as well as economical, pig toilets are waning in popularity as use of ]s and/or ] systems is increasing in rural areas.

] and other early Spanish explorers brought pigs to southeastern North America from Europe. As in Medieval Europe, pigs are valued on certain oceanic islands for their self-sufficiency, which allows them to be turned loose, although the practice does have drawbacks (see ]).

The domestic pig (''Sus domesticus'') is usually given the ] ''Sus scrofa domesticus'', although some taxonomists, including the ], call it ''S.&nbsp;domesticus'', reserving ''S.&nbsp;scrofa'' for the ]. It was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. The upper ] form sharp distinctive ]s that curve outward and upward. Compared to other artiodactyles, their head is relatively long, pointed, and free of ]s. Their head and body length ranges from {{convert|0.9|to|1.8|m|in|abbr=on}} and they can weigh between {{convert|50|and|350|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

In November 2012, scientists managed to ] of the ]. The similarities between the pig and human genomes mean that the new data may have wide applications in the study and treatment of human genetic diseases.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hsu|first=Christine|date=14 November 2012|title=Scientists Sequence Entire Pig Genome in Breakthrough That Could Combat Human Disease|url=https://www.medicaldaily.com/scientists-sequence-entire-pig-genome-breakthrough-could-combat-human-disease-243520|website=]|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|agency=]|date=15 November 2012|title=Scientists decode the pig genome|work=]|location=]|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/scientists-decode-the-pig-genome-112111500300_1.html|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Groenen|first1=Martien A. M.|last2=Archibald|first2=Alan L.|last3=Uenishi|first3=Hirohide|last4=Tuggle|first4=Christopher K.|last5=Takeuchi|first5=Yasuhiro|last6=Rothschild|first6=Max F.|last7=Rogel-Gaillard|first7=Claire|last8=Park|first8=Chankyu|last9=Milan|first9=Denis|last10=Megens|first10=Hendrik-Jan|last11=Li|first11=Shengting|display-authors=29|year=2012|title=Analyses of pig genomes provide insight into porcine demography and evolution|journal=]|volume=491|issue=7424|pages=393–8|bibcode=2012Natur.491..393G|doi=10.1038/nature11622|pmc=3566564|pmid=23151582|first14=Laurent A. F.|first28=Mirte|first25=Frank|last26=Blomberg|first26=Jonas|last27=Bolund|first27=Lars|last28=Bosse|last29=Botti|first24=Daniel|first29=Sara|last30=Bujie|first30=Zhan|first13=Heebal|last13=Kim|first12=Denis M.|last12=Larkin|last25=Blecha|last24=Berman|last14=Frantz|last19=Anthon|first15=Mario|last16=Ahn|first16=Hyeonju|last17=Aken|first17=Bronwen L.|last18=Anselmo|first18=Anna|first19=Christian|first23=Christian|last20=Auvil|first20=Loretta|last21=Badaoui|first21=Bouabid|last22=Beattie|first22=Craig W.|last23=Bendixen|last15=Caccamo}}</ref>

In August 2015, a study looked at over 100 pig genome sequences to ascertain their process of domestication. The process of domestication was assumed to have been initiated by humans, involved few individuals and relied on reproductive isolation between wild and domestic forms. The study found that the assumption of reproductive isolation with population bottlenecks was not supported. The study indicated that pigs were domesticated separately in Western Asia and China, with Western Asian pigs introduced into Europe where they crossed with wild boar. A model that fitted the data included admixture with a now extinct ] of wild pigs during the ]. The study also found that despite back-crossing with wild pigs, the genomes of domestic pigs have strong signatures of selection 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 ] in the genome. The same process may also apply to other domesticated animals.<ref name="frantz2015">{{cite journal|author=Frantz|first1=Lauren A F|last2=Schraiber|first2=Joshua G|last3=Madsen|first3=Ole|last4=Megens|first4=Hendrik-Jan|last5=Cagan|first5=Alex|last6=Bosse|first6=Mirte|last7=Paudel|first7=Yogesh|last8=Crooijmans|first8=Richard P M A|last9=Larson|first9=Greger|last10=Groenen|first10=Martien A M|date=31 August 2015|title=Evidence of long-term gene flow and selection during domestication from analyses of Eurasian wild and domestic pig genomes|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3394|journal=]|volume=47|issue=10|pages=1141–8|doi=10.1038/ng.3394|pmid=26323058|s2cid=205350534}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pennisi|first=Elizabeth|author-link=Elizabeth Pennisi|date=31 August 2015|title=The taming of the pig took some wild turns|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/taming-pig-took-some-wild-turns|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901193514/http://news.sciencemag.org/archaeology/2015/08/taming-pig-took-some-wild-turns|archive-date=1 September 2015|journal=]|doi=10.1126/science.aad1692}}</ref>

==In culture==
{{main|Pigs in culture}}

Pigs have been important in culture across the world since neolithic times. They appear in ], literature, and ]. In Asia the ] is one of 12 animal images comprising ], while in Europe the boar represents a standard charge in ]. In ] and ] pigs and those who handle them are viewed negatively, and the consumption of pork is forbidden.<ref>Qur'an 2:173, 5:3, 6:145, and 16:115.</ref><ref>{{Bibleverse||Leviticus|11:3–8|HE}}</ref> Pigs are alluded to in ]s and ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Horwitz, Richard P.|title=Hog Ties: Pigs, Manure, and Mortality in American Culture|date=2002|publisher=]|isbn=0816641838|page=23}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |title=Fine Swine |date=2 February 2001 |work=] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4259823/Fine-swine.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4259823/Fine-swine.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
The pig has been celebrated throughout Europe since ancient times in its ]s, the name coming from the Italian ''carne levare'', the lifting of meat.<ref name="Komins 2001">{{cite journal|last=Komins|first=Benton Jay|year=2001|title=Western Culture and the Ambiguous Legacies of the Pig|url=https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol3/iss4/6/|journal=Comparative Literature and Culture|publisher=]|volume=3|issue=4|doi=10.7771/1481-4374.1137|issn=1481-4374|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Pigs have been brought into literature for varying reasons, ranging from the pleasures of eating, as in ]'s ''A Dissertation upon Roast Pig'', to ]'s '']'' (with the fat character "Piggy"), where the rotting boar's head on a stick represents ], "lord of the flies" being the direct translation of the Hebrew {{Lang|he|בעל זבוב}}, and ]'s ] novel '']'', where the central characters, representing ] leaders, are all pigs.<ref name="Mullan 2010">{{cite news |last1=Mullan |first1=John |author-link1=John Mullan (academic) |title=Ten of the best pigs in literature |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/aug/21/ten-best-pigs-in-literature |work=] |date=21 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web|last=Bragg|first=Melvyn|author-link=Melvyn Bragg|title=Topics - Pigs in literature|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl/topics/Pigs_in_literature|access-date=1 January 2020|publisher=]|quote=Animal Farm ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ... The Mabinogion ... The Odyssey ... (''In Our Time'')}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sillar|first1=Frederick Cameron|title=The symbolic pig: An anthology of pigs in literature and art|date=1961|publisher=]}}</ref><ref name="Komins 2001"/>

==Environmental damage==
]s) in ]]]

{{main|Environmental impacts of pig farming}}
Domestic pigs that have escaped from urban areas or were allowed to forage in the wild, and in some cases wild boars which were introduced as prey for hunting, have given rise to large populations of feral pigs in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and other areas where pigs are not native. Accidental or deliberate releases of pigs into countries or environments where they are an ] have caused extensive environmental change. Their omnivorous diet, aggressive behaviour, and their feeding method of rooting in the ground all combine to severely alter ecosystems unused to pigs. Pigs will even eat small animals and destroy nests of ground nesting birds.<ref name="ADW Sus scrofa"/> The ] lists feral pigs on the ] and says:<ref>
{{cite web|date=2016|title=Species profile: Sus scrofa|url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=73&fr=1&sts=sss|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324110039/https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=73|archive-date=24 March 2016|work=Invasive Species Specialist Group|publisher=]}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|Feral pigs like other introduced mammals are major drivers of extinction and ecosystem 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 uproot 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 problems==
{{See also|Swine influenza}}
Because of their biological similarities, pigs can harbour a range of ]s and diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Examples of such ] include ], '']'', ], and ]. Pigs also host large concentrations of parasitic ] worms in their digestive tracts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Managing disease and welfare in swine|url=http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/|url-status=dead|work=The Pig Site|access-date=2009-03-12|archive-date=2018-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903150914/http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/}}</ref>

Some strains of influenza are ] in pigs, the most significant of which are ], ], and ], the first of which has caused several outbreaks among humans, including the ], ], and the ]. Pigs also can acquire ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 August 2014|title=What People Who Raise Pigs Need To Know About Influenza (Flu)|url=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/swineflu/people-raise-pigs-flu.htm|access-date=4 March 2021|website=|publisher=]|language=en-us}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Animals}}
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==References==
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==External links==
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{{Artiodactyla|S.}}
{{Suina|Su.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q10798}}


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There is also another species of pig called the maria it is spacially bread in rugby and is very FAT
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Latest revision as of 03:15, 24 December 2024

Genus of even-toed ungulates

Sus
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene to recent PreꞒ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
Subfamily: Suinae
Genus: Sus
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Sus scrofa
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text

Sus (/ˈsuːs/) is the genus of domestic and wild pigs, within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae. Sus include domestic pigs (Sus domesticus) and their ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species. Sus species, like all suids, are native to the Eurasian and African continents, ranging from Europe to the Pacific islands.

Juvenile pigs are known as piglets. Pigs live in complex social groups and are considered one of the more intelligent mammals, as reflected in their ability to learn.

With around 1 billion of this species alive at any time, the domestic pig is among the most populous large mammals in the world. Pigs are omnivores and can consume a wide range of food. Pigs are biologically similar to humans and are thus frequently used for human medical research.

Etymology

The Online Etymology Dictionary provides anecdotal evidence as well as linguistic, saying that the term derives

probably from Old English *picg, found in compounds, ultimate origin unknown. Originally "young pig" (the word for adults was swine). Apparently related to Low German bigge, Dutch big ("but the phonology is difficult" -- OED). ... Another Old 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 widespread IE tendency to name animals from typical attributes or activities" . Synonyms grunter, oinker 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.

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", suinus "pertaining to swine"; Old Church Slavonic svinija "swine;" Lettish sivens "young pig;" Welsh hucc, Irish suig "swine; Old Irish socc "snout, plowshare"), possibly imitative of pig noise; note that Sanskrit sukharah means "maker of (the sound) su".

An adjectival form is porcine. Another adjectival form (technically for the subfamily rather than genus name) is suine (comparable to bovine, canine, etc.); for the family, it is suid (as with bovid, canid).

Description and behaviour

Skull of a domestic pig
(Sus domesticus)

A typical pig has a large head with a long snout that is strengthened by a special prenasal bone and by a disk of cartilage at the tip. The snout is used to dig into the soil to find food and is a very acute sense organ. Each foot has four hooves with the two larger central toes bearing most of the weight, and the outer two also being used in soft ground.

The dental formula of adult pigs is 3.1.4.33.1.4.3, giving a total of 44 teeth. The rear teeth are adapted for crushing. In the male, the canine teeth form tusks, which grow continuously and are sharpened by constantly being ground against each other.

Occasionally, captive mother pigs may savage their own piglets, often if they become severely stressed. Some attacks on newborn piglets are non-fatal. Others may kill the piglets and sometimes, the mother may eat them. An estimated 50% of piglet fatalities are due to the mother attacking, or unintentionally crushing, the newborn pre-weaned animals.

Distribution and evolution

With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domestic pig is one of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.

The ancestor of the domestic 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.

Long isolated from other pigs on the many islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, pigs have evolved into many different species, including wild boar, bearded pigs, and warty pigs. Humans have introduced pigs into Australia, North and South America, and numerous islands, either accidentally as escaped domestic pigs which have gone feral, or as wild boar.

Habitat and reproduction

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) can take advantage of any forage resources. Therefore, they can live in virtually any productive habitat that can provide enough water to sustain large mammals such as pigs. Pigs are famously fecund; when well-fed, a sow can birth twelve or more piglets in her annual litter. If there is increased foraging by wild boars in certain areas, they can cause a nutritional shortage which can cause the pig population to decrease. If the nutritional state returns to normal, the pig population will most likely rise due to the pigs' naturally-increased reproduction rate.

Diet and foraging

Pigs are omnivores, which means that they consume both plants and animals. In the wild, they are foragers, searching through their habitat for food (which, for pigs, often includes digging with their snouts). Wild pigs eat roots, tubers, leaves, fruits, mushrooms, and flowers, in addition to some insects (especially insect grubs) and fish. Pigs are famously fond of truffle mushrooms, which grow underground; pigs find them by scent and unearth them with their snouts. In Europe, trained "truffle pigs" find these valuable fungi for humans. Pigs do not hunt, but will readily eat carrion, eggs, and other animal foods that they can find. As livestock, pigs were once fed all manner of mixed household food scraps (called "slops"), but on large modern farms are now fed mostly corn and soybean meal with a mixture of vitamins and minerals added. Traditionally, pigs were raised on dairy farms and fed any excess milk and the whey left over from cheese and butter making. Pigs brought so much extra income to these farms that they earned the nickname "mortgage lifters". Older pigs will consume three to five gallons of water per day. When kept as pets, the optimal healthy diet consists mainly of a balanced diet of raw vegetables, although some may give their pigs commercial mini pig pellet feed.

Relationship with humans

Further information: Pig farming

Most pigs today are domesticated pigs raised for meat (known as pork). Miniature breeds are commonly kept as pets. Because of their foraging abilities and excellent sense of smell, people in many European countries use them to find truffles. Both wild and feral pigs are commonly hunted.

Apart from meat, pig skin is turned into leather, and their hairs are used to make brushes. The relatively short, stiff, coarse pig hairs are called bristles, and were once so commonly used in paintbrushes that in 1946 the Australian Government launched Operation Pig Bristle. In May 1946, in response to a shortage of pig bristles for paintbrushes to paint houses in the post-World War II construction boom, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew in 28 short tons of pig bristles from China, their only commercially available source at the time.

Use in human healthcare

Main article: Domestic pig § In human medical applications

Human skin is very similar to pig skin, therefore many preclinical studies employ pig skin. In addition to providing use in biomedical research and for drug testing, genetic advances in human healthcare have provided a pathway for domestic pigs to become xenotransplantation candidates for humans.

Species

Pig 'oink' Oink!
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Skeleton of foot

The genus Sus is currently thought to contain nine living species. Several extinct species () are known from fossils.

Extant species

Genus Sus Linnaeus, 1758 – nine species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Palawan bearded pig

Sus ahoenobarbus
Huet, 1888
Philippines
Map of range
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 NT 


Bornean bearded pig

Sus barbatus
Müller, 1838

Two subspecies
Sumatra, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula
Map of range
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 VU 


Visayan warty pig

Sus cebifrons
Heude, 1888

Two subspecies
  • Cebu warty pig (Sus cebifrons cebifrons) (believed to be extinct)
  • Negros warty pig (Sus cebifrons negrinus).
Philippines (Cebu, Negros, Panay, Masbate, Guimaras, and Siquijor)
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 CR 


Celebes warty pig or Sulawesi warty pig


Sus celebensis
Müller & Schlegel, 1843

Three subspecies
Sulawesi in Indonesia Size:

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 LC 


Domestic pig

Sus domesticus (sometimes considered subspecies of S. scrofa)
Erxleben, 1777
Domesticated Size:

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 LC 


Oliver's warty pig or Mindoro warty pig


Sus oliveri
Groves, 1997
Philippines
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 VU 


Philippine warty pig

Sus philippensis
Nehring, 1886

Three subspecies
  • S. p. philippensis (from Luzon and nearby islands)
  • S. p. mindanensis (from Samar, Leyte, and other islands near Mindanao)
  • S. p. oliveri (from Mindoro)
Philippines
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 VU 


Wild boar

Sus scrofa
Linnaeus, 1758

Fifteen subspecies
  • S. s. scrofa
  • S. s. algira
  • S. s. attila
  • S. s. cristatus
  • S. s. davidi
  • S. s. leucomystax
  • S. s. libycus
  • S. s. majori
  • S. s. meridionalis
  • S. s. moupinensis
  • S. s. nigripes
  • S. s. riukiuanus
  • S. s. sibiricus
  • S. s. taivanus
  • S. s. ussuricus
  • S. s. vittatus
North Africa and much of Eurasia; from the British Isles to Korea and the Sunda Islands.
Map of range
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 LC 


Javan warty pig

Sus verrucosus
Boie, 1832
Indonesia
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 EN 


Fossil species

Domestication

Main article: Domestic pig

Pigs have been domesticated since ancient times in the Old World. Pigs were domesticated on each end of Eurasia, and possibly several times. It is now thought that pigs were attracted to human settlements for the food scraps, and that the process of domestication began as a commensal relationship. 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, Çayönü, Cafer Höyük, Nevalı Çori. Remains of pigs have been 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.

Pigs were also domesticated in China, potentially more than once. In some parts of China pigs were kept in pens from early times, separating them from wild populations and allowing farmers to create breeds that were fatter and bred more quickly. Early Modern Europeans brought these breeds back home and crossed them with their own pigs, which was the origins of most modern pig breeds.

In India, pigs have been domesticated for a long time mostly in Goa and some rural areas for pig toilets. This practice also occurred in China. Though ecologically logical as well as economical, pig toilets are waning in popularity as use of septic tanks and/or sewerage systems is increasing in rural areas.

Hernando de Soto and other early Spanish explorers brought pigs to southeastern North America from Europe. As in Medieval Europe, pigs are valued on certain oceanic islands for their self-sufficiency, which allows them to be turned loose, although the practice does have drawbacks (see environmental impact).

The domestic pig (Sus domesticus) is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa domesticus, although some taxonomists, including the American Society of Mammalogists, call it S. domesticus, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar. It was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. The upper canines form sharp distinctive tusks that curve outward and upward. Compared to other artiodactyles, their head is relatively 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 November 2012, scientists managed to sequence the genome of the domestic pig. The similarities between the pig and human genomes mean that the new data may have wide applications in the study and treatment of human genetic diseases.

In August 2015, a study looked at over 100 pig genome sequences to ascertain their process of domestication. The process of domestication was assumed to have been initiated by humans, involved few individuals and relied on reproductive isolation between wild and domestic forms. The study found that the assumption of reproductive isolation with population bottlenecks was not supported. The study indicated that pigs were domesticated separately in Western Asia and China, with Western Asian pigs introduced into Europe where they crossed with wild boar. A model 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-crossing with wild pigs, the genomes of domestic pigs have strong signatures of selection 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. The same process may also apply to other domesticated animals.

In culture

Main article: Pigs in culture

Pigs have been important in culture across the world since neolithic times. They appear in art, literature, and religion. 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 who handle them are viewed negatively, and the consumption of pork is forbidden. Pigs are alluded to in animal epithets and proverbs. The pig has been celebrated throughout Europe since ancient times in its carnivals, the name coming from the Italian carne levare, the lifting of meat.

Pigs have been brought into literature for varying reasons, ranging from the pleasures of eating, as in Charles Lamb's A Dissertation upon Roast Pig, to William Golding's Lord of the Flies (with the fat character "Piggy"), where the rotting boar's head on a stick represents Beelzebub, "lord of the flies" being the direct translation of the Hebrew בעל זבוב, and George Orwell's allegorical novel Animal Farm, where the central characters, representing Soviet leaders, are all pigs.

Environmental damage

Feral pigs (razorbacks) in Florida
Main article: Environmental impacts of pig farming

Domestic pigs that have escaped from urban areas or were allowed to forage in the wild, and in some cases wild boars which were introduced as prey for hunting, have given rise to large populations of feral pigs in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and other areas where pigs are not native. Accidental or deliberate releases of pigs into countries or environments where they are an alien species have caused extensive environmental change. Their omnivorous diet, aggressive behaviour, and their feeding method of rooting in the ground all combine to severely alter ecosystems unused to pigs. Pigs will even eat small animals and destroy nests of ground nesting birds. The Invasive Species Specialist Group lists feral pigs on the list of the world's 100 worst invasive species and says:

Feral pigs like other introduced mammals are major drivers of extinction and ecosystem 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 uproot 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 problems

See also: Swine influenza

Because of their biological similarities, pigs can harbour a range of parasites and diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Examples of such zoonoses include trichinosis, Taenia solium, cysticercosis, and brucellosis. Pigs also host large concentrations of parasitic ascarid worms in their digestive tracts.

Some strains of influenza are endemic in pigs, the most significant of which are H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2, the first of which has caused several outbreaks among humans, including the Spanish flu, 1977 Russian flu pandemic, and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Pigs also can acquire human influenza.

See also

References

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External links

Extant Artiodactyla species
Suborder Ruminantia
Antilocapridae
Antilocapra
Giraffidae
Okapia
Giraffa
Moschidae
Moschus
Tragulidae
Hyemoschus
Moschiola
Tragulus
CervidaeLarge family listed below
BovidaeLarge family listed below
Family Cervidae
Cervinae
Muntiacus
Elaphodus
Dama
Axis
Rucervus
Elaphurus
Rusa
Cervus
Capreolinae
Alces
Hydropotes
Capreolus
Rangifer
Hippocamelus
Mazama
Ozotoceros
Blastocerus
Pudu
Pudella?
Odocoileus
Family Bovidae
Hippotraginae
Hippotragus
Oryx
Addax
Reduncinae
Kobus
Redunca
Aepycerotinae
Aepyceros
Peleinae
Pelea
Alcelaphinae
Beatragus
Damaliscus
Alcelaphus
Connochaetes
Pantholopinae
Pantholops
CaprinaeLarge subfamily listed below
BovinaeLarge subfamily listed below
AntilopinaeLarge subfamily listed below
Family Bovidae (subfamily Caprinae)
Ammotragus
Arabitragus
Budorcas
Capra
Capricornis
Hemitragus
Naemorhedus
Oreamnos
Ovibos
Nilgiritragus
Ovis
Pseudois
Rupicapra
Family Bovidae (subfamily Bovinae)
Boselaphini
Tetracerus
Boselaphus
Bovini
Bubalus
Bos
Pseudoryx
Syncerus
Tragelaphini
Tragelaphus
(including kudus)
Taurotragus
Family Bovidae (subfamily Antilopinae)
Antilopini
Ammodorcas
Antidorcas
Antilope
Eudorcas
Gazella
Litocranius
Nanger
Procapra
Saigini
Saiga
Neotragini
Dorcatragus
Madoqua
Neotragus
Nesotragus
Oreotragus
Ourebia
Raphicerus
Cephalophini
Cephalophus
Philantomba
Sylvicapra
Suborder Suina
Suidae
Babyrousa
Hylochoerus
Phacochoerus
Porcula
Potamochoerus
Sus
Tayassuidae
Tayassu
Catagonus
Dicotyles
Suborder Tylopoda
Camelidae
Lama
Camelus
Suborder Whippomorpha
Hippopotamidae
Hippopotamus
Choeropsis
Cetacea
Genera of peccaries, pigs and their extinct allies
Suina
Suina
Suoidea
Doliochoeridae
Doliochoerinae
Orycterochoerinae
Sanitheriidae
Suidae
    • See below ↓
Tayassuidae
Suidae
Suidae
Cainochoerinae
Hyotheriinae
Listriodontinae
Kubanochoerini
Listriodontini
Namachoerini
Suinae
Suini
Potamochoerini
Hippohyini
Phacochoerini
Babyrousini
Tetraconodontinae
Taxon identifiers
Sus
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