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Domestic Pig

A domestic pig on an organic farm in Solothurn, Switzerland
Conservation status
Template:StatusDomesticated
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Suidae
Genus:	Sus
Species:	S. scrofa
Subspecies:	S. s. domestica
Trinomial name
*Sus scrofa domestica* Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
Sus domestica

The domestic pig (or in some areas hog) is normally given the scientific name Sus scrofa domestica, though some taxonomists use the term S. domestica, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar.

Pigs are believed to have been domesticated from wild boar as early as 7000 BC in the Near East and, separately, in China. DNA evidence from sub-fossil remains of teeth and jawbones of Neolithic pigs in Europe shows that the first domestic pigs there had been brought from the Near East. It appears that this stimulated the domestication of European wild boar, effectively forming a third domestication event – the Near Eastern genes later died out in European pigs, and domesticated European pigs were then exported in turn to the ancient Near East.

The adaptable nature and omnivorous diet of the wild boar allowed early humans to domesticate it much earlier than many other forms of livestock, such as cattle. . Pigs were mostly used for food, but early civilizations also used the pigs' hides for shields, bones for tools and weapons, and bristles for brushes. Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by De Soto and other early Spanish explorer. Escaped pigs became feral and were used by Native Americans as food.

Modern pigs are found across Europe, and extend into Asia as far as Indonesia and Japan . The distinction between wild and domestic animals is slight. Most domestic pigs usually have rather sparse hair covering on their skin, but the woolly coated breeds are known (Mangalitza pig), and some were popular in the past. Escaped domestic pigs have become feral in many parts of the world (for example, New Zealand) and have caused substantial environmental damage.

Farming

A pig is prepared for food in Viñales, Cuba.

The domestic pig is farmed for its meat called pork, which is obtained by slaughter. Products made of pork include sausage, bacon and ham. The head of a pig can be used to make head cheese. Liver, chitterlings, and other offal from pigs are also widely used for food. In some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, there are religious restrictions on the consumption of pork.

In industrialized nations, domestic pigs farming has shifted away from the traditional pig farm to large-scale intensive pig farms where meat can be mass-produced. This has resulted in lower production costs, but more significant animal welfare concerns.

A young female pig who has borne fewer than two litters is known as a gilt (In some usages, a gilt must never have been pregnant), a female who has borne more than two litters is a sow, an intact male is a boar, a castrated male is a barrow, and young pigs of both sexes are piglets or shoats (or in areas where the species is called hog, just pigs). Pigs of various ages and types sometimes also have particular names, such as porker or baconer, and the word swine (plural also swine) can be used to refer to all pigs. Giving birth in pigs is called farrowing, and a pregnant gilt or sow is said to be in pig. A small building in which a pig is kept is called a sty, and a larger one a pig-shed, and a low outdoor shelter for a pig (also other smaller animals such as chickens or rabbits) is an ark. The feet of pigs are called trotters (they have four hoofed toes, walking mainly on the larger central two). A group of pigs is a herd, or if a smaller group foraging in woodland, a sounder.

In developing nations, and often in developed nations, the domestic pig is raised outdoors in yards or fields. In some cases pigs are allowed to forage in woods, where they are watched by swineherds, the equivalent of shepherds for pigs.

As pets

Pigs are known to be intelligent animals and have been found to be more trainable than dogs or cats. Asian pot-bellied pigs, a small type of domestic pig, have made popular house pets in the United States beginning in the latter half of the 20th century. Regular domestic farmyard pigs have also been known to be kept indoors, but due to their large size and destructive tendencies, they typically need to be moved into an outdoor pen as they grow older. Most pigs have a fear of being picked up, but will usually calm down once placed back on the floor. Pigs are rarely used as working animals. An exception is the the use of truffle pigs – ordinary pigs trained to find truffles.

Breeds of pigs

File:2004pig.PNG

Pig headcount in 2004

Pigs are exhibited at agricultural shows, judged either as stud stock compared to the standard features of each breed, or in commercial classes where the animals are judged primarily on their suitability for slaughter to provide premium meat.

List of domestic pig breeds

Global pig stock
in 205
Number in millions
1. China	488.8 (50.87%)
2. United States	60.4 (6.29%)
3. Brazil	33.2 (3.46%)
4. Vietnam	27 (2.81%)
5. Germany	26.9 (2.8%)
6. Spain	25.3 (2.63%)
7. Poland	18 (1.87%)
8. France	15 (1.56%)
9. Canada	14.7 (1.53%)
10. Mexico	14.6 (1.52%)

World total	960.8
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization