Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Domestic Pig | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Domestic Pig

Sus domesticus

MammaliaFarms and, where feral, woodland, wetland and agricultural margins

Field profile

The domestic pig descends from the Eurasian wild boar, with evidence for domestication in both Anatolia and East Asia. It is an omnivore with a simple stomach, a highly sensitive snout and considerable behavioural flexibility. Escaped domestic pigs revert to boar-like form and behaviour within a few generations and are a serious invasive species in several countries.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-10-15

Domestic Pig

Pigs wallow because they barely sweat

Pigs have sweat glands but almost no functional ones for cooling, so they cannot lose heat by sweating. Wallowing in mud is thermoregulation, and the mud outperforms plain water because it evaporates more slowly.

Read with evidence →