{ Twenty Interesting Facts about...Pigs }

If you only visit this blog to read about knitting, spinning dying and the occasional sheep or Great Dane story it will be best for you to stop reading now. Go visit the Yarn Harlot, or Never Not Knitting. They will provide you with your daily dose of fiber. 

Over the weekend when I was happily knitting socks in front of the wood stove at JAP's parents farmhouse, I was recruited move some (2) pigs. 

This adventure resulted in a splinter, bruised knees and a great sense of accomplishment. 

So, in honour of my piggie adventure here are twenty interesting things you may not know about the common Pig.

(Please jump in with any additional information you may have) 

• The first domestication of the Pig is thought to have taken place in China  around 4900 BC.

• Pigs are the only mammal found all around the world.
  

• The 9 species of Pig live on every continent except Antarctica.
  

• Groups of pigs are called sounders or herds.
  

• A male pig is called a boar.
  

• A female pig is called a gilt if she hasn't had piglets yet and a sow if she has.
  

• Pigs are very intelligent and learn quickly. They rank 4th in animal intelligence. Piglets learn their names by two to three weeks of age and respond when called.
  

• Like humans, Pigs are omnivorous; eating both veggies and meat.
  

• The pig's nose is called a snout, big boars like to use it as a weapon.
  

• Pigs can have either straight or curly tails.
  

• A pig can run a 7 minute mile.
  

• Pigs have 44 teeth.
  

• The lifespan of a pig is up to 15 years.
  

• Due to the position of the eye on the head, Pigs have excellent eyesight. They also have very good hearing and a keen sense of smell.
  

• Although Lean by nature, pigs are often overfed by their owners.
  

• Very clean by nature, pigs keep their toilets far from their living or eating area.
  

• The well known phrase "Sweating like a pig" is not accurate. As Pigs have not sweat glands they are incapable of sweating.
  

• To keep cool, Pigs roll around in mud or water. The layer of mud protests their skin from the sun.
  

• Pigs are fantastic swimmers. In fact the Pig Olympics which occur annually in Shanghai China include swimming races.
  

• Pig insulin is used to control diabetes.
  

Bonus!

Many places around the world are names after the Suinae mammal.

• In, Florida, Guyana, Michigan, Grenada and Virginia you can visit Hog Island. 

• When in Virginia you can also see Hog Point as well as Pig Point. 

• When driving through Boarhill Scotland you can see the remarkably plain church built in 1866. 

• Let's not forget about Hog Head Ireland,  which is known for its excellent bass, cod, dab, dogfish, mullet, pollock and ballan wrasse fishing.

• Then there's the Sow River in England which is a tributary of the River Avon. 

• What about Babe Island Guam which is known for it's beautiful beaches?
  Note: The movie Babe has no direct connection to this area.

• Finally and the most tragically popular is the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. This area located 150 kilometers southeast from the Cuban capital city of Havana played host to the USA's unsuccessful invasion, which attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro.

Oink.