10 facts about Pigs
What do you know about these remarkable animals?
Pigs are fascinating animals that are – contrary to widespread belief – incredibly intelligent, social, and one of the cleanest animals! Here is a list of amazing facts about these complex creatures.
- Pigs are smart! Their intelligence is higher than a dog's, some primates and even young human children.1
- In their natural state, pigs are very clean animals. They keep their toilets far from their living or feeding areas.2
- They are much more tolerant of colder temperatures than heat. Pigs have no sweat glands so they can't sweat. This is why they enjoy being in mud to keep themselves cool.3
- Pigs use grunts to communicate with each other. The grunts made by pigs vary depending on the pig's personality and can convey important information about the welfare of this highly social species.4
- Newborn piglets learn to respond to their mothers’ voices, and mother pigs communicate with their babies through grunts and sing to them while nursing. Pigs also have a vocabulary of over 20 distinct sounds, all with a specific meaning.5
- Pigs have excellent memories. They can remember things for years and can recognize and remember objects!6
- The highest density of tactile receptors is found in the pig’s snout. Pigs use it mainly to dig in the dirt and smell food. A pig’s sense of smell is about 2000 times more sensitive than human's.7
- Pigs are incredibly social. They form close bonds with each other and other animals. To keep warm, pigs may cuddle up with one another. Pigs also love to play!8
Source
1. Marino L, Colvin CM. Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Personality in Sus domesticus. International Journal of Comparative Psychology. 2015;28(1). doi:10.46867/ijcp.2015.28.00.04
2. Salomon E, Åkerhielm H, Lindahl C, Lindgren K. Outdoor pig fattening at two Swedish organic farms—Spatial and temporal load of nutrients and potential environmental impact. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 2007;121(4):407–418. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2006.11.017
3. Gourdine J-L, Rauw WM, Gilbert H, Poullet N. The Genetics of Thermoregulation in Pigs: A Review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2021;8:770480. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.770480
4. Bensoussan S, Cornil M, Meunier-Salaün M-C, Tallet C. Piglets Learn to Use Combined Human-Given Visual and Auditory Signals to Find a Hidden Reward in an Object Choice Task. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(10):e0164988. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164988
5. Pérez Fraga P, Gerencsér L, Lovas M, Újváry D, Andics A. Who turns to the human? Companion pigs’ and dogs’ behaviour in the unsolvable task paradigm. Animal Cognition. 2020;24:33–40. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01410-2
6. Briefer EF, Sypherd CC-R, Linhart P, Leliveld LMC, Padilla de la Torre M, Read ER, Guérin C, Deiss V, Monestier C, Rasmussen JH, et al. Classification of pig calls produced from birth to slaughter according to their emotional valence and context of production. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):3409. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07174-8
7. Friel M, Kunc HP, Griffin K, Asher L, Collins LM. Acoustic signalling reflects personality in a social mammal. Royal Society Open Science. 2016;3:160178. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160178
8. Newberry R, Wood-Gush D. The Suckling Behaviour of Domestic Pigs in a Semi-Natural Environment. Behaviour. 1985;95:11–25. doi:10.1163/156853985X00028
9. Rørvang MV, Schild S-LA, Wallenbeck A, Stenfelt J, Grut R, Valros A, Nielsen BL. Rub ‘n’ roll – Pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, display rubbing and rolling behaviour when exposed to odours. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2023;266:106022. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106022
10. Zapata Cardona J, Ceballos MC, Tarazona Morales AM, David Jaramillo E, Rodríguez B de J. Music modulates emotional responses in growing pigs. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):3382. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07300-6
11. Marcet-Rius M, Pageat P, Bienboire-Frosini C, Teruel E, Monneret P, Leclercq J, Cozzi A. The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship. Porcine Health Management. 2020;6(1):29. doi:10.1186/s40813-020-00167-x
12. Kruska D. Mammalian Domestication and its Effect on Brain Structure and Behavior. NATO ASI Series. 1988;G17:211–250. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-70877-0_13
13. Nguyen DT, Lee K, Choi H, Choi M, Le MT, Song N, Kim J-H, Seo HG, Oh J-W, Lee K, et al. The complete swine olfactory subgenome: expansion of the olfactory gene repertoire in the pig genome. BMC Genomics. 2012;13(1):584. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-584
14. Jones JB, Wathes CM, Persaud KC, White RP, Jones RB. Acute and chronic exposure to ammonia and olfactory acuity for n-butanol in the pig. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2001;71(1):13–28. doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00168-4
15. O’Malley CI, Steibel JP, Bates RO, Ernst CW, Siegford JM. The Social Life of Pigs: Changes in Affiliative and Agonistic Behaviors following Mixing. Animals. 2022;12(2):206. doi:10.3390/ani12020206
16. Hillmann E, Mayer C, Schön P-C, Puppe B, Schrader L. Vocalisation of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) as an indicator for their adaptation towards ambient temperatures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2004;89(3):195–206. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2004.06.008
2. Salomon E, Åkerhielm H, Lindahl C, Lindgren K. Outdoor pig fattening at two Swedish organic farms—Spatial and temporal load of nutrients and potential environmental impact. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 2007;121(4):407–418. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2006.11.017
3. Gourdine J-L, Rauw WM, Gilbert H, Poullet N. The Genetics of Thermoregulation in Pigs: A Review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2021;8:770480. doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.770480
4. Bensoussan S, Cornil M, Meunier-Salaün M-C, Tallet C. Piglets Learn to Use Combined Human-Given Visual and Auditory Signals to Find a Hidden Reward in an Object Choice Task. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(10):e0164988. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0164988
5. Pérez Fraga P, Gerencsér L, Lovas M, Újváry D, Andics A. Who turns to the human? Companion pigs’ and dogs’ behaviour in the unsolvable task paradigm. Animal Cognition. 2020;24:33–40. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01410-2
6. Briefer EF, Sypherd CC-R, Linhart P, Leliveld LMC, Padilla de la Torre M, Read ER, Guérin C, Deiss V, Monestier C, Rasmussen JH, et al. Classification of pig calls produced from birth to slaughter according to their emotional valence and context of production. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):3409. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07174-8
7. Friel M, Kunc HP, Griffin K, Asher L, Collins LM. Acoustic signalling reflects personality in a social mammal. Royal Society Open Science. 2016;3:160178. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160178
8. Newberry R, Wood-Gush D. The Suckling Behaviour of Domestic Pigs in a Semi-Natural Environment. Behaviour. 1985;95:11–25. doi:10.1163/156853985X00028
9. Rørvang MV, Schild S-LA, Wallenbeck A, Stenfelt J, Grut R, Valros A, Nielsen BL. Rub ‘n’ roll – Pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, display rubbing and rolling behaviour when exposed to odours. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2023;266:106022. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106022
10. Zapata Cardona J, Ceballos MC, Tarazona Morales AM, David Jaramillo E, Rodríguez B de J. Music modulates emotional responses in growing pigs. Scientific Reports. 2022;12(1):3382. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07300-6
11. Marcet-Rius M, Pageat P, Bienboire-Frosini C, Teruel E, Monneret P, Leclercq J, Cozzi A. The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship. Porcine Health Management. 2020;6(1):29. doi:10.1186/s40813-020-00167-x
12. Kruska D. Mammalian Domestication and its Effect on Brain Structure and Behavior. NATO ASI Series. 1988;G17:211–250. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-70877-0_13
13. Nguyen DT, Lee K, Choi H, Choi M, Le MT, Song N, Kim J-H, Seo HG, Oh J-W, Lee K, et al. The complete swine olfactory subgenome: expansion of the olfactory gene repertoire in the pig genome. BMC Genomics. 2012;13(1):584. doi:10.1186/1471-2164-13-584
14. Jones JB, Wathes CM, Persaud KC, White RP, Jones RB. Acute and chronic exposure to ammonia and olfactory acuity for n-butanol in the pig. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2001;71(1):13–28. doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00168-4
15. O’Malley CI, Steibel JP, Bates RO, Ernst CW, Siegford JM. The Social Life of Pigs: Changes in Affiliative and Agonistic Behaviors following Mixing. Animals. 2022;12(2):206. doi:10.3390/ani12020206
16. Hillmann E, Mayer C, Schön P-C, Puppe B, Schrader L. Vocalisation of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) as an indicator for their adaptation towards ambient temperatures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2004;89(3):195–206. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2004.06.008
Source
1. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3122303/Move-Lassie-IQ-tests-reveal-pigs-outsmart-dogs-chimpanzees.html
2. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-joy-of-pigs-smart-clean-and-lean/2126/
3. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-joy-of-pigs-smart-clean-and-lean/2126/
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160629100349.htm
5. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/phenomenal-reasons-to-love-pigs/
6. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/
7. https://safeanimalsquad.org.nz/animal-facts/animal-facts-pigs/
8. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/phenomenal-reasons-to-love-pigs/
2. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-joy-of-pigs-smart-clean-and-lean/2126/
3. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/the-joy-of-pigs-smart-clean-and-lean/2126/
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160629100349.htm
5. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/phenomenal-reasons-to-love-pigs/
6. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/
7. https://safeanimalsquad.org.nz/animal-facts/animal-facts-pigs/
8. https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/phenomenal-reasons-to-love-pigs/