The benefits of pigs: fun facts about pigs (2024)

Pigs are smart, social and often misunderstood. That's why we've taken it upon ourselves to talk about the benefits of pigs with these amazing facts – and answer some frequently asked questions about pigs.

Agriculture itself could hardly have developed centuries ago without the recycling capabilities of the pig. Yet fewer farmers have one pig these days. Let's celebrate the virtues of the pig!

Amazing facts about pigs

Pigs are very intelligent. They consistently rank among the top 4 and top 7 most intelligent animals on Earth. Pigs have a good memory and learn quickly. Animal experts consider them at least as trainable as dogs or cats. Pigs can break and, like a cat, can be taught to use a litter box. Their ability to solve problems is well documented. In a 1990s study, pigs were trained to move a cursor on a video screen with their snouts and used the cursor to distinguish between scribbles they knew and those they were seeing for the first time. They learned the task as quickly as chimpanzees.

No farm animal has a better sense of smellThe large round cartilage disk at the tip of the snout is connected to muscles that give it extra flexibility and strength to root into the ground. By rooting and thus disturbing the soil, pigs disperse plant seeds and play an important role in ecosystem management. The pig's sense of smell is so keen that they can smell something 7 meters underground! Their sense of smell can also help people. Some pigs are trained for law enforcement. They can sniff out drugs, just like dogs.

Pigs are one of the cleanest animals. What? They have a reputation for being messy because they love mud. But pigs don't have sweat glands. They roll around in the mud to keep cool in hot weather. Mud cakes on their bodies also prevent sunburn and deter insect attacks. Without mud, pigs could suffer second-degree burns all over their bodies.

But why does the pig smell so much?? A bald pig is odorless; the smell comes from their lifestyle. If pigs have enough space, they keep their toilet area far away from where they live and litter. Even newborn piglets leave the nest to go to the toilet within hours of birth. But because pigs are often confined or their living space is not cleaned often enough, the mud, feces and food scraps produce various smelly gases. Some of these odor-causing chemicals aren't that different from our own human latrines; it does not matter whether it is of domestic or human origin.

Ever heard the term 'spike-out'?? To celebrateDoinghave a reputation for being voracious, messy eaters. They make snorting and smacking sounds and simply enjoy eating. (Hey, who are we to judge?) Pigs mainly eat roots and vegetables; it's what they eat in the wild. But they will eat almost anything you give them. (There's a joke that pigs would even eat you, just like we would eat them!) Interestingly enough, a pig's stomach is proportionately much smaller than that of a sheep or a cow. They are also naturally thin unless overfed by humans.

The pig is the most beautiful animalFar in the garden: always available for a scratch behind the ears, almost never moody and quick with a growl of joy. They love to play with each other and engage in mock fights, as well as playing with dogs and other mammals. They form close bonds with other animals and love to cuddle and snuggle.

Pigs are social. They live in complex social communities where they follow individuals and learn from each other. They work together and prefer to live in groups, just like a dog likes to be part of a pack. Like dogs, they also respond to the 'top pig' and won't necessarily think you are the 'boss' if you don't act like it. Winston Churchill famously said, "Dogs look up to people. Cats look down on people. Pigs look us straight in the eye and look alike."

Pigs are very peaceful animalsand rarely show aggression, although some pigs are very large and sometimes have tusks. They will only show aggression if they or their young are threatened. Pigs are also athletic; the fastest member of the pig family is the warthog, which can reach speeds of 35mph. Interestingly, the pig has cloven hooves – an adaptation shared with more timid prey such as sheep, deer and antelope; however, pigs are not afraid or afraid.

Search how to find out how much your pig weighs? Measure the circumference (in inches) by wrapping a measuring tape around the animal, just behind the front legs. Then measure the length from the ears to the base of the tail. The weight of the pig (in pounds) is equal to the square of the circumference, times the length, divided by 400. If math isn't your thing, buy a pork tire at the feed store; the calculations are built in.

We hope you learned something about pigs today!

What makes pigs happy or sad? Read our quirky article: “Love talk for pigs."