Pig

The pig (Sus domesticus), also called swine (pl.: swine) or hog, is an <a href="/facts/Omnivore/b8zcsuJF">omnivorous</a>, <a href="/facts/Domestication/tWB5s52s">domesticated</a>, <a href="/facts/Even-toed_ungulate/LS4ra9ET">even-toed, hoofed mammal</a>. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus <a href="/facts/Sus_(genus)/b5wxwdDY">Sus</a>. Some authorities consider it a <a href="/facts/Subspecies/4L9jFacF">subspecies</a> of Sus scrofa (the <a href="/facts/Wild_boar/Sk8TgJkS">wild boar</a> or Eurasian boar); other authorities consider it a distinct <a href="/facts/Species/oDg6b96r">species</a>. Pigs were domesticated in the <a href="/facts/Neolithic/wRS0Bnh4">Neolithic</a>, both in <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a> and in the <a href="/facts/Near_East/gD1vyGQI">Near East</a> (around the <a href="/facts/Tigris/Rc8Ka6k8">Tigris Basin</a>). When domesticated pigs arrived in Europe, they extensively interbred with wild boar but retained their domesticated features.
<a href="/facts/Pig_farming/0WIDrkWN">Pigs are farmed</a> primarily for meat, called <a href="/facts/Pork/TuIYFNeU">pork</a>. The animal's skin or <a href="/facts/Hide_(skin)/qqvr1cCz">hide</a> is used for <a href="/facts/Leather/kvQtwHPH">leather</a>. China is the world's largest pork producer, followed by the European Union and then the United States. Around 1.5 billion pigs are raised each year, producing some 120 million tonnes of meat, often cured as <a href="/facts/Bacon/kmG1RDHP">bacon</a>. Some are kept as <a href="/facts/Pet/DIG0CzQ8">pets</a>.
Pigs have featured <a href="/facts/Pigs_in_culture/El6ha9CU">in human culture</a> since Neolithic times, appearing in art and literature for children and adults, and celebrated in cities such as <a href="/facts/Bologna/glE9rlrW">Bologna</a> for their meat products.

Pig open-in-new

Pig