10 Surprising Facts About Pigs (2024)

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Bolhuis, J., M. Oostindjer, Cindy Hoeks, Elske De Haas, Andrea Bartels, Monique Ooms, and Bas Kemp. “Working and Reference Memory of Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domesticus) in a Holeboard Spatial Discrimination Task: The Influence of Environmental Enrichment.” Animal Cognition 16 (June 6, 2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0646-7.

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Dudink, Suzan, Helma Simonse, Inge Marks, Francien H. de Jonge, and Berry M. Spruijt. “Announcing the Arrival of Enrichment Increases Play Behaviour and Reduces Weaning-Stress-Induced Behaviours of Piglets Directly after Weaning.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 101, no. 1 (December 1, 2006): 86–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.12.008.

Forkman, B., I. L. Furuhaug, and P. Jensen. “Personality, Coping Patterns, and Aggression in Piglets.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 45, no. 1 (October 1, 1995): 31–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)00601-N.

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Gerencsér, Linda, Paula Pérez Fraga, Melinda Lovas, Dóra Újváry, and Attila Andics. “Comparing Interspecific Socio-Communicative Skills of Socialized Juvenile Dogs and Miniature Pigs.” Animal Cognition 22, no. 6 (November 1, 2019): 917–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01284-z.

Gieling, Elise Titia, Rebecca Elizabeth Nordquist, and Franz Josef van der Staay. “Assessing Learning and Memory in Pigs.” Animal Cognition 14, no. 2 (2011): 151–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-010-0364-3.

Godyń, Dorota, Jacek Nowicki, and Piotr Herbut. “Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Pig Welfare—A Review.” Animals : An Open Access Journal from MDPI 9, no. 6 (June 22, 2019): 383. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9060383.

Gosling, Samuel D, and Oliver P John. “Personality Dimensions in Nonhuman Animals: A Cross-Species Review.” CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 1999, 7. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8721.00017.

Government of Ireland. S.I. No. 311/2010 – European Communities (Welfare of farmed animals) Regulations 2010. (2010). http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2010/si/311/made/en/print.

Held, S., M. Mendl, C. Devereux, and R. W. Byrne. “Social Tactics of Pigs in a Competitive Foraging Task: The ‘informed Forager’ Paradigm.” Animal Behaviour 59, no. 3 (March 2000): 569–76. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1999.1322.

Held, Suzanne, Michael Mendl, Claire Devereux, and Richard Byrne. “Studies in Social Cognition: From Primates to Pigs.” Animal Welfare 10 (January 1, 2001). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253542886_Studies_in_social_cognition_From_primates_to_pigs.

Held, Suzanne, Michael Mendl, Claire Devereux, and Richard W. Byrne. “Behaviour of Domestic Pigs in a Visual Perspective Taking Task.” Behaviour 138, no. 11/12 (2001): 1337–54. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4535896.

———. “Foraging Pigs Alter Their Behaviour in Response to Exploitation.” Animal Behaviour 64, no. 2 (August 1, 2002): 157–65. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.2002.3044.

Helft, Miguel. “Pig Video Arcades Critique Life in the Pen.” Wired, June 6, 1997. https://www.wired.com/1997/06/pig-video-arcades-critique-life-in-the-pen/.

Higginbotham, Billy. “Frequently Asked Questions-Wild Pigs.” Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 2013, 14. https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/190877/article1453.pdf?sequence=1.

Horback, Kristina. “Nosing Around: Play in Pigs.” Animal Behavior and Cognition 1 (May 1, 2014): 186–96. https://doi.org/10.12966/abc.05.08.2014.

Hussain, Grace. “Pig Intelligence: Are Pigs as Intelligent as Dogs?” Sentient Media (blog). Accessed December 1, 2022. https://sentientmedia.org/pig-intelligence/.

Illmann, Gudrun, Marek Špinka, Lars Schrader, and Pavel Šustr. “Acoustical Mother-Offspring Recognition in Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domestica).” Behaviour 139, no. 4 (January 1, 2002): 487–505. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685390260135970.

Imfeld-Mueller, Sabrina, Lea Van Wezemael, Markus Stauffacher, Lorenz Gygax, and Edna Hillmann. “Do Pigs Distinguish between Situations of Different Emotional Valences during Anticipation?” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 131, no. 3 (May 1, 2011): 86–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2011.02.009.

ScienceDaily. “It’s Not Just a Grunt: Pigs Really Do Have Something to Say.” June 29, 2016. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160629100349.htm.

Jong, I. C. de, I. T. Prelle, J. A. van de Burgwal, E. Lambooij, S. M. Korte, H. J. Blokhuis, and J. M. Koolhaas. “Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Behavioral Responses to Novelty, Learning, and Memory, and the Circadian Rhythm in Cortisol in Growing Pigs.” Physiology & Behavior 68, no. 4 (February 2000): 571–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0031-9384(99)00212-7.

Koba, Y, and H Tanida. “How Do Miniature Pigs Discriminate between People?. Discrimination between People Wearing Coveralls of the Same Colour.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 73 (August 1, 2001): 45–58. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11982244_How_do_miniature_pigs_discriminate_between_people_Discrimination_between_people_wearing_coveralls_of_the_same_colour.

Kouwenberg, Amy-Lee, Carolyn J. Walsh, Bethany E. Morgan, and Gerard M. Martin. “Episodic-like Memory in Crossbred Yucatan Minipigs (Sus Scrofa).” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 117, no. 3 (March 1, 2009): 165–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2009.01.005.

Kristensen, H. H., R. B. Jones, C. P. Schofield, R. P. White, and C. M. Wathes. “The Use of Olfactory and Other Cues for Social Recognition by Juvenile Pigs.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 72, no. 4 (June 1, 2001): 321–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00209-4.

ScienceDaily. “Kune Kune Piglets Possess Social Learning Skills and Have an Astonishingly Good Memory.” October 11, 2017. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171011120347.htm.

Landsberg, Gary M., and Sagi Denenberg. “Social Behavior of Swine.” In Merck Veterinary Manual, May 2014. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/behavior/normal-social-behavior-and-behavioral-problems-of-domestic-animals/social-behavior-of-swine.

Mair, Georg, and Ludwig Huber. “Vetmeduni Vienna: Pigs Form a Visual Concept of Human Faces.” LISAvienna – Life Science Austria, August 17, 2018. https://www.lisavienna.at/news/detail/vetmeduni-vienna-pigs-form-a-visual-concept-of-human-faces/.

Marino, Lori, and Christina M. Colvin. “Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Personality in Sus Domesticus.” International Journal of Comparative Psychology 28, no. 1 (January 1, 2015). http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8sx4s79c.

Marino, Lori, and Christina M Colvin. “Thinking Pigs: Cognition, Emotion, and Personality – An Exploration Of The Cognitive Complexity Of Sus Domesticus, The Domestic Pig.” Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, n.d., 24. https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=mammal#:~:text=Studies%20of%20emotion%20in%20pigs,the%20emotional%20state%20of%20another.

Martin, Jessica E., Sarah H. Ison, and Emma M. Baxter. “The Influence of Neonatal Environment on Piglet Play Behaviour and Post-Weaning Social and Cognitive Development.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 163 (February 1, 2015): 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.11.022.

Martínez-Miró, Silvia, Fernando Tecles, Marina Ramón, Damián Escribano, Fuensanta Hernández, Josefa Madrid, Juan Orengo, Silvia Martínez-Subiela, Xavier Manteca, and José Joaquín Cerón. “Causes, Consequences and Biomarkers of Stress in Swine: An Update.” BMC Veterinary Research 12, no. 1 (August 19, 2016): 171. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0791-8.

McLeman, Morven A., Michael Mendl, R. Bryan Jones, Rodger White, and Christopher M. Wathes. “Discrimination of Conspecifics by Juvenile Domestic Pigs, Sus Scrofa.” Animal Behaviour 70, no. 2 (August 1, 2005): 451–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.11.013.

Muth, Felicity. “Are Pigs Stupid? Perhaps They Re Just Stressed.” Scientific American Blog Network. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/are-pigs-stupid-perhaps-theyre-just-stressed/.

———. “Can Pigs Empathize?” Scientific American Blog Network. Accessed November 28, 2022. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/not-bad-science/can-pigs-empathize/.

Nawroth, Christian, Mirjam Ebersbach, and Eberhard von Borell. “Are Juvenile Domestic Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domestica) Sensitive to the Attentive States of Humans?-The Impact of Impulsivity on Choice Behaviour.” Behavioural Processes 96 (March 13, 2013): 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2013.03.002.

———. “Juvenile Domestic Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domestica) Use Human-given Cues in an Object Choice Task.” Animal Cognition 17, no. 3 (May 1, 2014): 701–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0702-3.

Newberry, R. C., D. G. M. Wood-Gush, and J. W. Hall. “Playful Behaviour of Piglets.” Behavioural Processes 17, no. 3 (September 1, 1988): 205–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/0376-6357(88)90004-6.

Pedersen, Lene J., Mette S. Herskin, Björn Forkman, Ulrich Halekoh, Kristian M. Kristensen, and Margit B. Jensen. “How Much Is Enough? The Amount of Straw Necessary to Satisfy Pigs’ Need to Perform Exploratory Behaviour.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 160 (November 1, 2014): 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.08.008.

Pepperberg, Irene, Sean Garcia, Eric Jackson, and Sharon Marconi. “Mirror Use by African Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus).” Sentience Collection, June 1, 1995. https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/acwp_asie/155.

Pérez Fraga, Paula, Linda Gerencsér, Melinda Lovas, Dóra Újváry, and Attila Andics. “Who Turns to the Human? Companion Pigs’ and Dogs’ Behaviour in the Unsolvable Task Paradigm.” Animal Cognition 24, no. 1 (January 1, 2021): 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01410-2.

Animals. “Pet Pigs Can Communicate with Humans—Especially When Food Is Involved,” July 11, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/pigs-dogs-pets-communication.

Reimert, Inonge, J. Elizabeth Bolhuis, Bas Kemp, and T. Bas Rodenburg. “Emotions on the Loose: Emotional Contagion and the Role of Oxytocin in Pigs.” Animal Cognition 18, no. 2 (March 1, 2015): 517–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0820-6.

———. “Indicators of Positive and Negative Emotions and Emotional Contagion in Pigs.” Physiology & Behavior 109 (January 17, 2013): 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.11.002.

Reimert, Inonge, J. Bolhuis, Bas Kemp, and Bas Rodenburg. “Erratum to: Emotions on the Loose: Emotional Contagion and the Role of Oxytocin in Pigs.” Animal Cognition 18 (November 11, 2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0820-6.

Root-Bernstein, Meredith, Trupthi Narayan, Lucile Cornier, and Aude Bourgeois. “Context-Specific Tool Use by Sus Cebifrons.” Mammalian Biology 98 (September 1, 2019): 102–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2019.08.003.

Ruis, Marko A. W., Joop H. A. te Brake, Johan A. van de Burgwal, Ingrid C. de Jong, Harry J. Blokhuis, and Jaap M. Koolhaas. “Personalities in Female Domesticated Pigs: Behavioural and Physiological Indications.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 66 (2000): 31–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(99)00070-2.

Schacter, Daniel L., Daniel T. Gilbert, and Daniel M. Wegner. Psychology. Macmillan, 2009. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Psychology/-9x8dngFRe0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA185&printsec=frontcover.

Souza, Adriana S., Jarno Jansen, Robert J. Tempelman, Michael Mendl, and Adroaldo J. Zanella. “A Novel Method for Testing Social Recognition in Young Pigs and the Modulating Effects of Relocation.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 99, no. 1 (August 1, 2006): 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.09.008.

Souza, Adriana Silveira de. “Social Recognition in Neonatal Pigs and the Effects of Acute Stressors on It.” Michigan State University. Department of Animal Science, 2006. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Social_Recognition_in_Neonatal_Pigs_and/Zpgu9RDzEj0C?hl=en.

Špinka, Marek, Ian J.H Duncan, and Tina M Widowski. “Do Domestic Pigs Prefer Short-Term to Medium-Term Confinement?” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 58, no. 3–4 (July 1998): 221–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(98)00109-9.

Stephen Messenger. “Pig Mom Sings A Happy Dinner Song To Her Babies.” The Dodo (blog), November 14, 2015. https://www.thedodo.com/mother-pig-sings-to-babies-1137798723.html.

Studnitz, Merete, Margit Bak Jensen, and Lene Juul Pedersen. “Why Do Pigs Root and in What Will They Root?: A Review on the Exploratory Behaviour of Pigs in Relation to Environmental Enrichment.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, no. 3 (November 1, 2007): 183–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.013.

Tammy McCormick Donaldson. “Is Boredom Driving Pigs Crazy?” Behave: Stories of Applied Animal Behavior. Accessed November 30, 2022. https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/range556/appl_behave/projects/pigs_ster.html.

Tanida, H, and Y Nagano. “The Ability of Miniature Pigs to Discriminate between a Stranger and Their Familiar Handler.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 56, no. 2 (March 1, 1998): 149–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00095-6.

Telkänranta, Helena, M.B.M. Bracke, and Anna Valros. “Fresh Wood Reduces Tail and Ear Biting and Increases Exploratory Behaviour in Finishing Pigs.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161 (December 1, 2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.09.007.

Veit, Ariane, Marianne Wondrak, and Ludwig Huber. “Object Movement Re-Enactment in Free-Ranging Kune Kune Piglets.” Animal Behaviour 132 (October 1, 2017): 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.004.

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Weary, Daniel M., Stephen Ross, and David Fraser. “Vocalizations by Isolated Piglets: A Reliable Indicator of Piglet Need Directed towards the Sow.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 53 (1997): 249–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01173-2.

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Wondrak, Marianne, Elin Conzelmann, Ariane Veit, and Ludwig Huber. “Pigs (Sus Scrofa Domesticus) Categorize Pictures of Human Heads.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 205 (August 1, 2018): 19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.05.009.

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10 Surprising Facts About Pigs (2024)

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