Animals such as pigs are of great importance for agriculture in many countries and regions. At the same time, in some other countries they are not bred at all, because due to cultural characteristics they are considered dirty animals. We will not judge which point of view is more correct, and we will only note that pigs are far from being as simple as they seem. Moreover, most people are not even aware of their high intelligence and that these creatures are very clean, of course, if given the opportunity to do so.
Interesting facts about pigs
- Pig heart valves are ideal as replacements for worn-out human heart valves.
- Pigs wallow in the mud simply because they cannot sweat, and thus cool themselves.
- Babyrussa, “stag-pig ”, lives only on a few islands in Indonesia. It is so different from other pigs that it was separated into a separate family, consisting of a single species. Babirussa males are characterized by very long upper and lower canines – in older pigs they can bend and grow into the skull.
- Despite their apparent clumsiness, pigs are good runners. An adult pig can run a kilometer in 5 minutes.
- Contrary to us, and many representatives of the animal world too, pigs are not at all afraid of snakes. Quite the contrary: snakes are afraid of pigs. Pets fight creeping reptiles very simply: they trample them, and then eat them with pleasure (interesting facts about snakes).
- An adult pig has 44 teeth, and fangs grow continuously all their lives.
- Since pigs have a well-developed sense of smell, they are used to search for truffles, and sometimes sniff out drugs in the service of the police.
- The closest relative of the domesticated pig is the wild boar. Today it can be found in the forests of Europe and Asia.
- Scientists from the Beijing Institute of Genomics have created unusual pigs. No larger than a small dog, they are suitable as pets.
- Thanks to pigs, mankind has insulin and more than 40 other medical drugs.
- The only place on their body where droplets of sweat can appear is a patch.
- Pork contains a lot of parasites, so such meat cannot be eaten raw and it is extremely important to subject it to thorough heat treatment.
- The fact that traditional piggy banks are made in the form of a pig is “guilty” of the consonance of two English words. The clay from which the first such products were once made was called «pygg». The pronunciation of this word completely coincided with «pig». And over time, manufacturers of piggy banks began to make them in the form of pigs.
- Nowadays, there are pigs on all continents except Antarctica (interesting facts about Antarctica).
- Pigs were among the first animals, domesticated by man. It happened about 7000 years ago.
- The first domestic pigs appeared in China. The Chinese were the first to trade pork.
- The most expensive pig was sold in 1985 in the United States for $56,000.
- The squeal of a pig can reach 115 decibels. This is louder than the sound of a jet engine, which barely reaches 112 decibels.
- The most sensitive place on the body of a pig is its snout.
- Pigs have poor eyesight, but have an excellent sense of smell.
- Pigs love to play with each other and also listen to music.
- The ancient Egyptians and Chinese revered pigs as sacred animals. It was believed that pigs bring happiness and prosperity to the house. Therefore, pork is rare in Ancient Egypt and China: only on major religious holidays, when these animals were sacrificed (interesting facts about Ancient Egypt).
- Some scientists believe that pigs are smarter than monkeys and dolphins.
- Pork — the most common meat in the world.
- Pigs are perfectly trainable.
- These animals do not perceive their reflection in the mirror as identical to their own «self», but they willingly see other objects are there and unmistakably identify them.
- Pigs cannot look up.
- Adult pigs weigh from 50 to 150 kilograms.
- The record for the largest farrowing belongs to a Danish pig, which in 1961 became a mother of 34 piglets at once.
- Pigs came to America from Europe in 1539 thanks to the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto (interesting facts about North America).
- A pig can drink 14 liters of water a day.
- In Denmark, there are twice as many pigs as there are people.
- Pigs communicate with each other all the time. Scientists have differentiated more than twenty different sounds that pigs make. At the same time, these sounds have a wide variety of meanings, ranging from flirting with the opposite sex and asking for help, ending with a signal of desire to eat.
- Pigs live on an Indonesian atoll in the Pacific Ocean, which feed mainly on caught fish, moreover, they fish at a depth of up to 15 meters.
- There are 4 fingers on the limbs of pigs, and the second and fourth of them only slightly touch the ground.