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The pig is an even-toed hoofed mammal of the family "Suidae". They are omnivorous, and have simple, non-ruminating stomachs and thick hides. The Middle-Eastern wild boar "Sus scrofa" is the ancestor of domesticated breeds; it is 1,5 m. (4,5 ft.) long and 1 m. (3 ft.) high, with formodable tusks, but not naturally aggressive.
Wild pigs include the babirusa and the wart-hog. The farming of domesticated pigs was practised during the Neolithic in the Middle East and China at least 10.000 years ago and the pig was a common farm animal in ancient Greece and Rome. Over 400 breeds evolved over the centuries, many of which have all but disappeared in more recent times with the development of intensive rearing systems; however, different environments and requirements have ensured the continuation af a variety of types. The Berkshire, Chester White, Poland, China, Saddleback, Yorkshire, Duroc and Razorback are the main surviving breeds. Modern indoor rearing methods favour the large white breeds, such as the Chester White and the originally Swedish Landrace, over coloured varieties, which tend to be hardier and can survive better outdoors. Since 1960, hybrid pigs, produced by crossing two or more breeds, have become popular for their heavy but lean carcasses.
The Berkshire and Tamworth are now rare in the UK, but still widespread in Australia and New Zealand. Most British and Dutch pigs are kept in close-confinement systems. About 30% of the pork and bacon consumed in the UK is imported from intensive farms in the Netherlands and Denmark.
The hog is a member of the pig family. The river hog "Potamochoerus porcus" lives in Africa, south of the Sahara. Reddish or black, up to 1,3 m. (4,2 ft.) long plus tail, and 90 cm. (3 ft.) at the shoulder, this gregarious animal roots for food in many types of habitat. The giant forest hog "Hylochoerus meinerzthageni" lives in thick forests of central Africa and grows up to 1,9 m. (6 ft.) long.
African wild pig "Phacochoerus aethiopicus", which has a large head with a bristly mane, fleshy pads beneath the eyes, and four large tusks. It has short legs and can grow to 80 cm. (2,5 ft.) at the shoulder.
Wild member of the pig family, such as the Eurasian wild boar "Sus scrofa", from which domestic pig breeds derive. The wild boar is sturdily built, being 1,5 m. (4,5 m.) long and 1 m. (3 ft.) high, and posseses formidable tusks. Of gregarious nature and mainly woodland-dwelling, it feeds on roots, nuts, insects and some carrion.
The dark coat of the adult boar is made up of bristles with varying amounts of underfur, but the young are striped. The male domestic pig is also known as a boar, the female as a sow.
Interest in wild-boar farming is reviving in Britain because of the meat's gamelike taste, low fat, and free-range associations.
wild pig "Babirousa babyrussa", becoming increasingly rare, found in the moist forests and by the water of Sulawesi, Buru, and nearby Indonesian islands. The male has large upper tusks which grow upwards through the skin of the snout and curve back towards the forehead. The babirusa is up to 80 cm. (2,5 ft.) at the shoulder. It is nocturnal, and swims well.
(Afrikaans "earth pig") nocturnal mammal "Orycteropus afer", order "Tubulidentata", found in central and southern Africa. A timid, defenceless animal about the size of a pig, it has a long head, piglike snout, and large asiniine ears. It feeds on termites, which it licks up with its long sticky tongue.
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information from "the Hutchinson Multimedia Encyclopedia"
