10 Surprising Facts About Pigs - The Pig Site

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Disease Pig Welfare Husbandry 10 Surprising Facts About Pigs The humble pig is far from 'boaring' - here at ThePigSite, we’ve compiled a list of ten things you may not know about these remarkable animals. calendar icon 7 April 2015 clock icon 1 minute read By: Nick Morton

“Shut up, mum! We’re already asleep!”(Photo credit: Matthias Hiekel)

1. Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers’ voices, and can recognise their own names by the time they’re 2 weeks old. Sows have even been known to 'sing' to their young whilst nursing!

“Who’re you calling ‘sweaty’?”

3. If you’ve ever suggested that someone was ‘sweating like a pig’, then you’d be wrong. Pigs have hardly any sweat glands, and one of the best ways for them to cool down is to wallow in all of that glorious mud. Click here to learn more about pig anatomy!

“So, then I said to her…”

5. And when they’re not squealing, they’re talking. Pigs communicate constantly with each other, and more than 20 different vocalisations have been identified; from wooing a mate to saying ‘I’m hungry!”

“Roll over, Susan! I’m trying to catch that Frisbee…”

7. They may be indiscriminate eaters, but pigs are also highly intelligent and incredibly social animals. When kept in a group they will snuggle close to one another, and prefer to sleep nose-to-nose. Studies have also shown that, much like humans, they dream. Click here to learn more about group-housing of sows and why it's important to get it right!

“No, that’s it, I’m outta here!”

9. Aside from their life-saving abilities, the pig is also associated with fertility and virility in China. This has led to statues of pigs being displayed prominently in the bedrooms of Chinese couples who are trying to have children.

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