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The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it S. domesticus, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar. It was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Pigs are found across Europe, the Middle East and extend into Asia as far as Indonesia and Japan. The distinction between wild and domestic animals is slight, and domestic pigs have become feral in many parts of the world (for example, New Zealand) and caused substantial environmental damage.

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). Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by De Soto and other early Spanish explorers, where escapees became feral and were freely used by Native Americans as food.

As food

The primary use of the domestic pig is as a meat animal. In industrialized nations domestic pigs are raised in large-scale factory farms where the meat, called pork, can be mass-produced. Many of the pork products purchased in supermarkets and restaurants come from these types of farms. However, in developing nations and rural areas of developed nations, the domestic pig is frequently raised in a traditional farmyard setting. In some cases pigs are even raised in open fields where they are allowed to forage; they are watched by swineherds, essentially shepherds for pigs.

Popular food products made of pork include sausage, bacon, and ham. The head of a pig can be used to make headcheese. Chitterlings, pig knuckles, and other offal from pigs are also sometimes used for food, particularly as soul food.

In certain religions, especially Judaism and Islam, eating the meat of pigs is forbidden.

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 smaller subspecies of the 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 tendancies, they typically need to be moved into an outdoor pen as they grow older.

See also

• Taboo meat
• Exotic pet

• Domesticated animals
• Livestock
• Pigs
• Meat