They’re pink, sweaty,
and lazy, right? WRONG!
Read this Q&A to get
the real dirt on pigs.
1. What makes a
pig a pig?
For starters, there’s that
snout. It’s big, strong,
and flexible, with a
great sense of smell.
And it’s just right for
sniffing out and digging up tasty treats
underground.
Pig feet are also pretty special. Look at the
hooves on the spotted
pig at right. It almost
looks as if it’s wearing
high heels. Pigs have
four toes on each foot,
but they usually stand
only on the tips of the
front two toes.
You
Think
You
Know
Pigs?
2. Are all pigs
pink and hairless? Many domestic
“Hog wash!”
by Hannah Schardt
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JOHN DANIELS/ARDEA/ANIMALS ANIMALS
pigs—the ones raised
on farms—look pink
(or spotted) and almost
hairless. But wild pigs
come in all shapes,
sizes, and colors. The
shaggy-maned, brown
warthog at top right
has four warty bumps
on its face. The red
river hog at right has
reddish fur and long,
white whiskers on its
cheeks. It’s hard to
believe these two are
Babe’s cousins!
INGO ARNDT/NATUREPL.COM
E. A. JANES/SUPERSTOCK >
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3. How smart are
pigs? Pretty smart!
In fact, some scientists
believe they are even
smarter than dogs. Pigs
can be trained to do
all sorts of tricks: jump
through hoops, use
mirrors to find food,
and herd sheep. They
can even use joysticks
to play video games. So
the next time someone
calls you “pig-headed,”
you can say, “Thanks.”
4. Are pigs dirty?
Pigs actually like to be
clean. They’d rather not
sleep in dirty bedding,
and they are careful
to poop far away from
where they eat. But as
you can see below,
pigs do love mud. And
there are good reasons
for that. You may have
heard the saying, “He
sweats like a pig.” Well,
pigs don’t sweat at all.
So on hot days, they
roll in mud to keep
cool. Mud also makes
a good sunscreen and
insect repellent. (Try
telling that to your
parents next time you
come to the back door
covered in mud!)
LYNN M. STONE/DRK PHOTO (8-9B); JOHN WARBURTON-LEE/DANITADELIMONT.COM (9TR); BILL DRAKER/ROLFNP.COM (9BR)
5. Are pigs slow?
Wild pigs are surprisingly speedy. They
have to be. In the wild,
pigs sometimes have to
outrun predators such
as lions or leopards. At
top speed, the warthog
at right can run 30
miles an hour. That
might be faster than
the speed limit in your
neighborhood!
Pig-tionary
Pigheaded:
Stubborn
You can’t m
ake a silk
purse out of
a sow’s
ear: You can
’t make
something g
ood out of
bad materials
.
Hog wild: Ve
ry excited
Putting lipsti
ck on a
pig: Making
a small
change to tr
y to
guise someth dising
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6. Where do
pigs live? Just about
everywhere! Domestic
pigs are raised all over
the world. Wild pigs
live in Africa, Asia, and
Europe. They roam
throughout woodlands,
swamps, grasslands—
even cities. (More on
that later.) North and
South America are
home to their own
pig-like animals: three
species of peccary
(PEK-uh-ree). Peccaries,
including the fuzzy
collared peccary below,
are not true pigs but
are close relatives.
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on where they live,
pigs will also eat grass,
berries, acorns, cactus, and animals such
as snails and small
snakes.
FLORIAN MÖLLERS
Problem Pigs
Wild pigs belong in the wild, and domestic
pigs belong on farms. But sometimes wild
pigs move into cities. And sometimes domestic pigs escape and become wild, or feral
(FAIR-ul). Both can cause big problems.
The wild boar family at left lives in Berlin,
Germany. When boars in nearby forests figured out that they could find food and shelter
in town, they moved right in. Some Berliners
enjoy their piggy neighbors. But the boars
tear up vegetable gardens, dig in lawns, and
cause hundreds of traffic accidents each year.
The first domestic pigs were brought to
North America hundreds of years ago. Since
then, many of them have escaped and become wild. Now millions of feral pigs live in
North America. They trample and dig up native plants. Their rooting also tears up the soil.
And they are such big eaters that sometimes
they don’t leave enough food for other wild
animals to survive.
8. What are pig
families like?
Mama pigs such as the
wild boar below give
birth to several piglets
at a time—usually four
to six, and sometimes
as many as fourteen!
Even after the piglets
grow up, the females,
called sows, often stay
with their moms. Adult
males, called boars,
leave to hang out on
their own. =
ANDY ROUSE/2020 VISION/NATUREPL.COM (10T); PETE OXFORD/MINDEN PICTURES (10-11B)
7. What do pigs
“pig out” on?
Pigs are built for rooting, or digging in the
earth with their snouts
for underground food.
Meals of mushrooms,
worms, and grubs
make for a dirty snout
(above). Depending
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