Basic Terminology

boar: a male pig
sow: a female pig
shoat: a young, weaned pig of either sex
barrow: a male pig that has been castrated before sexual maturity
gilt: a sow that has never given birth
bristles: the thick hair that covers a pig
snot: their noses.

The Landrace: These pigs are solid white and have long bodieswith large drooping ears. Many pigs of this breed were used in crossbreading to develop new types domestic pigs.

The Birkshire: This pig hasa short, upturned nose, long body, and a black coat. It also has white fur on its feet, face and tail tip.

The Chester White: These are pure white pigs.

The Duroc: This type of pig is usually red. It is the adaptable type of pig, found in all the parts if the US where pigs are produced.

The Hampshire: This pig has a white belt aroound its shoulders and body while the rest of its coat is black. It is the most abundant breed of domestic pig in the US based upon the number of animals registered. The hampshire's popularity is due to the fact that it is able to produce large litters of a uniform type and that are very high quality.

The Tamworth: has a longish, straight snout, erect ears, and a red coat. This pig is one of the oldest breeds of domestic pig and has undergone fewer changes than the rest.

The Yorkshire: are all white and have erect ears. The sows are known to be good mothers that raise large litters.

Minuature Pigs: There are many breeds of this type of pig, many of which have been developed for use in biomedical research. These breeds include the Sinclair (Hormel) Strain, Pitman-Moore Minatures, and the Yucatan Micro Pigs.

Wild Pigs

Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa): was a popular game animal during medieval times, still roams over many parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa.

The Pygmy Hog (S. slavanius): is the smallest of wild pigs.It is found in Nepal and northern India. It is now threatened with extinction.

The Warty Hog (S. verrucsus) and the bearded pig (S. barbatus): live in parts of Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and the Phillipines.

Food

Wild pigs eat a variety of foods, including:

• leaves
• roots
• fruit
• reptiles
• rodents
• carrion

Domestic pigs are fed mainly:

• corn
• dariy by products
• grain
• commerical feeds
• root
• edible garbage
• tuber crops

Other Facts

• Pigs wallow in mud or water holes to seek releif from the heat, not because they are dirty. Their sweet glands aren't able to lower the body tempreture effectively.
  
• Pigs have proved to be among the smartest of all domestic animals, even more intelligent than dogs.
  
• They are distantly related to hippopotamuses.
  
• Their stocky, barrellike bodies weigh between 300 and 700 pounds (140 and 300 kilograms) and sometimes reach weights as great as 1,900 pounds (860 kilograms).
• Both males and females have tusks, which they use for defense. The tusks are sharpened as the pig chews: its upper and lower tusks rub against one another.
• Pigs are omnivores.
• By means of selection and controlled mating, at least 377 breeds of pigs have been raised.
• China has long had the world's largest population of domestic pigs.
• Wild pigs existed as far back as 36 million years ago.
• Wild or domestic pigs can be found on every continent except Antarctica.