Dec. 16/2020

Feature:

8 Surprising Facts About Pigs

"Pigs are among the most versatile animals humans have domesticated. While they're often stereotyped as gluttonous, dirty, & not particularly bright, anyone familiar with actual pigs knows they're incredibly intelligent & complex creatures. Here are some fun, surprising facts about pigs.

1. Humans Domesticated Pigs at 2 Different Times, in 2 Different Places

...2 different cultures thousands of miles apart domesticated wild pigs, or boars. Near what is now modern-day Turkey, settlers domesticated wild boars that came to their villages for scraps of food about 10,000 years ago. Research also indicates that around 8,000 years ago, wild pigs were domesticated in China's Mekong Valley.

2. Pigs Developed a Dirty Reputation

Despite their domestication & usefulness, pigs fell out of favor to a certain degree around 3,000 years ago. The Old Testament of the Bible, specifically the Book of Leviticus, deemed pigs 'unclean' & forbade the consumption of pig productions. The Quran followed suit in the 7th century. While theories abound as to why pigs were held in low esteem, the likeliest reason is that pigs are happy to consume just about anything, including decaying food & even feces.

3. The Pig Holds a Place in the Chinese Zodiac

The pig is the 12th symbol in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac...The pig, having gotten hungry & then sleepy during the race, was the last to arrive at a meeting called by the Jade Emperor, according to folklore.

4. Pigs Can Save Human Lives

...Pigs' heart valves are used to make valves for humans. According to Harvard Health Publishing, these valves last around 15 years & typically don't require the use of anti-clotting drugs as mechanical valves do...

                                           

5. Pig Are Intelligent, Emotional Creatures

A review of pig studies published in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology

suggests pigs have a complex psychology that we're only now beginning to understand. 'Pigs display consistent behavioral & emotional characteristics that have been described variously as personality. e.g., coping styles, response types, temperament, & behavioral tendencies,' the authors wrote.

The review also found that pigs respond to each other's emotions. 'Emotional contagion in pigs involve[s] responses to other pigs' anticipation of positive or negative events, revealing the importance of social factors in emotion.'

6. They Even Use Tools

Ecologist Meredith Root-Bernstein was studying some special pigs in France when she noticed a behavior that had never been noted before. Visayan warty pigs were using sticks & bark scraps to build nests...These specific pigs are endangered, which is why she was studying them in a zoo environment, but the unprompted behavior counts, according to Root-Bertstein. The nest building doesn't happen all the time, only every 6 months or so when the pigs are expecting the arrival of piglets.

7. Pigs Don't Really Sweat

...the truth is pigs don't sweat a lot. Sweat is a way warm-blooded animals keep cool, but they need functional sweat glands to do that. Pigs have the glands, but they don't work well. This is why pigs will roll around in mud to keep cool.

8. Pigs Have Crummy Vision but a Great Sense of Smell

Pigs can see things along the sides of their head- useful for spotting food, other pigs, & potential predators-but they're not great at seeing what's right in front of them. They make up for this poor frontal vision with an excellent sniffer. They can use their snouts to detect food, & thanks to a little extra muscle that gives it flexibility, the snout also can root out food."

Treehugger.com

Noel Kirkpatrick

August 12/2020

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