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More About Pigs ...
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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 has been a domesticated animal for approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years. The animal is found across Europe, the Middle East and extends 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); 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.
Pigs are intelligent animals, and some are kept as pets. Pigs are reportedly more intelligent and more trainable than dogs and cats. Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by De Soto and other early Spanish explorers, where escapees became feral and became freely used by Native Americans as food.
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).
Many different words in English identify different types of pig:
adult male pigs are called boars
adult females are called sows
juvenile animals are called piglets and farrows
young pigs between 100-180 pounds (50 to 90 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 United States; in its original sense it means a castrated boar.
swine is a plural noun meaning pigs
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 pork in general and ham, bacon or bologna in some cases. Their trotters are often sold as the jelly-like dish of pig's feet. Hog jowls are a popular soul food. The American pig-raising industry calls pork a white meat, as opposed to beef; "white meat" (such as poultry) is often considered healthier than "red meat." Both Islam and Orthodox Judaism forbid the eating of pork in any form, considering the animal to be unclean: no form of pig meat can be kosher or halal.
While pigs are raised mostly for meat, their skin is used as a source of leather. Their bristly hairs are also traditionally used for brushes.
Pigs, like humans, are omnivores, 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.
Pigs are the only mammal not to have sweat glands. Thus they must have access to water or mud to cool themselves during hot weather.
ancient Greece, a sow was an appropriate sacrifice to Demeter and had been her favorite animal since she had been the Great Goddess of archaic times. Initiates at the Eleusinian mysteries began by sacrificing a pig.
The pig is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. Believers in Chinese astrology associate each animal with certain personality traits. See: Pig (Zodiac).
Zhu Bajie is a famous literary character from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Pigs are commonly associated with greed and with dirt; the latter probably comes from their habit of wallowing in mud.
Pigs are not as dirty as people believe them to be. They are in fact very clean animals and the only reason people picture them in mud and covered in dirt is because they do not sweat. Rolling in the mud is their way of regulating their body temperature and keeping themselves cool in warmer temperatures.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Suidae
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Pigs
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VIDEO CLIPS
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Boar
4.690MB MOV View Movie
The Living Schoolbook - The Cyberzoo project
Wild Boar at Utica Zoo
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Warthog
Streaming RAM View Movie
National Geographic - Creature Feature Archive
Video of Warthogs
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Domestic Pig
0.530MB MOV View Movie
CNN
Pigs on the fast track
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Pig
Streaming RM View Movie
PBS
Pigs - Creatures of Character
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Babirusa
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Babirusa video clips available in various formats
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Pygmy hog
MOV View Movie
Arkive.org
Nice selection of Pygmy hog video clips available in various formats
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Pig
0.510MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
Piglets squealing at the gate
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Pig
0.700MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
Hogs in a pen
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Pig
0.760MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
Piglets on top of each other
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Potbellied Pig
0.540MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
A potbellied pig wagging its tail
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Potbellied Pig
0.690MB MOV View Movie
FreeStockFootage.com
A potbellied pig wagging its tail
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Ossabaw Pig
Streaming RPM View Movie
Woodland Park Zoo
Clip of Ossabaw Pig; your browser may not be aware of the 'rpm' extension. You may have to copy URL and open the link in RealPlayer
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Javelina
0.850MB MOV View Movie
Desert USA
Javelina clip
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Wild Boar
0.840MB AVI View Movie
Offwell Woodland & Wildlife Trust
Short clip of wild boars foraging in the woods
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Warthog
0.830MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
Warthog moving around and swinging tail aggressively
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 680-102 in the search screen.
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Pig
0.700MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
Close up of pig walking towards camera in yard
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 306-124 in the search screen.
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Pig
1.520MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
Close up of pink pigs sniffing camera
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 247-80 in the search screen.
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Warthog
0.720MB MOV View Movie
Creatas
Wart hog with piglets
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Javelina
0.870MB MOV View Movie
Creatas
Javelina grazing in the desert
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Warthog
View Movie
National Geographic
Warthog Life Lessons
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