pigs usually keep themselves cleaner

Pigs live on farms and roll around in mud. That’s why many people think pigs are dirty animals. But pigs roll in mud to cool off in hot weather, not to get dirty. In fact, pigs usually keep themselves cleaner than most other farm animals.

Pigs are smarter than other farm animals. People even keep some kinds of pigs as pets. But mostly, pigs are raised for food and other products.

WHAT ARE PIGS LIKE?

Pigs are also called hogs or swine. People raise many different kinds of pigs around the world. Most pigs that live on farms have heavy, rounded bodies. They have long snouts and flat noses. They have short legs, hooves, and a short tail.

The skin of a pig is thick. It is covered with rough hairs called bristles. Pigs come in different colors. They can be black, white, pink, brown, or covered with black and white spots.

Pigs have a good sense of smell. Wild pigs use their flat noses to dig in the ground for small animals to eat, such as worms and grubs. They also feed on plants. Most pigs on farms eat corn and grains, such as barley, wheat, and oats.

WHAT DO WE USE PIGS FOR?

We get meat, a kind of leather called pigskin, and bristles for brushes from pigs. Bacon, ham, pork chops, and pork sausage are meats that come from pigs. Pigskin gets made into belts, luggage, gloves, and footballs.

Lard, a type of fat, is another important product that comes from pigs. Lard is used for baking and cooking. Lard is also used to make soap.

WILD PIGS

Wild pigs are very different from tame pigs. Wild pigs are fierce and can kill other animals. Wild pigs live in forests in many parts of the world. Some wild pigs have two big teeth called tusks. They use their tusks for fighting.

WHERE DID PIGS COME FROM?

Pigs on farms today probably came from two different kinds of wild pigs. One came from Europe and the other came from Southeast Asia. Scientists believe the ancient Chinese first tamed wild pigs about 9,000 years ago.

Christopher Columbus and other European explorers brought pigs from Europe to North and South America beginning in the late 1400s. Some of these pigs escaped from farms and lived in the wild. Wild pigs called razorbacks live in the Southeastern United States. They are descended from the pigs Europeans brought to the Americas.