Pig Facts

A whole group of pigs is called a herd.
It is believed that the word "pig" comes from the Low German bigge, meaning any domesticated swine.
A young female pig is called a gilt. After a gilt has given birth, she is called a sow.
Male pigs are either boars or barrows. Boars are male pigs that are capable of producing offspring. Barrows are male pigs that have been neutered and are not capable of reproducing.
The young of a boar and sow is a piglet or pig.
Pigs have four toes on each hoof. Pigs walk on only two of their toes on each foot.
They look like they are walking on tiptoe.
Market pigs weigh about 220 pound to 260 pounds.
When a pig is about 6 months old and at market weight (around 113 kilograms), it is called a hog.
Pigs' ears are notched so that farmers can identify what month they were born and which sow was their mother.
Pigs have an excellent sense of smell.
Pigs can not sweat because they have no sweat glands. They roll around in the mud to cool their skins.
Pigs are some of the cleanest animals around, refusing to mess anywhere near their living or eating areas when given a choice.
Despite their penchant for wallowing in mud, pigs are very clean. They always keep their toilet far from their living area. Even newborns do this.
Some pigs have straight tails. Others have curly tails.
A baby pig, or piglet, weighs about 1.5 kilograms at birth and will double its weight in just 7 days.
A pig can run a 7-minute mile.
Meat from a swine is called pork.
Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world.
Potbellied pigs snore....loudly!!!!
Some pigs are really BIG! The largest was a 2, 552 pound porker named Big Bill, who stood 5' 9" at the shoulder.
Pigs have altered history. In 1859, an American-owned pig wandered into a British-owned potato patch on San Juan Island, off the coast of Washington. The pig was shot, touching off a cold war.
Pigs are generally extremely intelligent, even more apt at picking up tricks than dogs. Scientists have found their grunts have specific meanings, allowing them to communicate to each other.
It took 30 some piglets to play the part of "Babe" in the first film because the piglets outgrew the part so quickly.
Famous pigs: Miss Piggy, The three little pigs, Piglet (from Winnie the Pooh), Porky Pig, Arnold Ziffle (green Acres), Babe, Old Major (Animal Farm), and Remmington!
World book encyclopedia rates a pig the fourth most intelligent in the animal kingdom.
Pigs are generally extremely intelligent, even more apt at picking up tricks than dogs. Scientists have found their grunts have specific meanings, allowing them to communicate to each other.
Swine research led to the development of the CAT scan, a technology for examining internal organs without surgery.
Heart valves from pigs are used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves.
Pigs are primarily raised for meat production. Their skin can be used for leather. The 'Piggy Bank' came about because the smallholder always invested his wealth in the family pig. It gave him pork, bacon, sausage and also acted as a refuse bin eating all the scraps. When asked if he had any money the smallholder would reply...'No. All my money's in the pig'. When people stopped keeping pigs they made a replica pig to 'put their money in'. Hence the practice of saving money in a pig and the arrival of the 'Piggy Bank'."
I believe the name 'Piggy Bank' came about because coins were traditionally kept in a rough earthenware jar made of an orange clay known as pygg, and which was known, naturally enough, as a pygg jar or pygg bank. Over time, people started casting their banks in the shape of a pig to reflect the name.
Chu is a common Chinese surname meaning "pig." Chinese named themselves this to fool evil spirits into thinking they were animals and therefore not worth bothering.
Different cultures have varying attitudes toward eating pig meat. Judaism and Islam forbid eating pork. A standard Caribbean dish is Pig Knuckles and Rice. In Chine, sliced pig ears are served alongside duck intestine as an appetizer.