Pigs
ANIMALS
LARGEST PIG
Reared on a diet of sorghum molasses, banana
peels and slop, the Poland-China hog Big Bill grew
to 2,552 lb (1,157 kg) – twice the weight of an adult
male polar bear. In 1933, Big Bill had to be put down
after breaking his leg. Stuffed and mounted, he
was placed on display at travelling carnivals before
vanishing. His current whereabouts are a mystery.LARGEST WILD PIG
Undescribed by science until 1904, the giant
forest hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) of
central Africa certainly lives up to its name.
The huge hog has a head–body length of 1.3–
2.1 m (51–83 in), a shoulder height of 85–105 cm
(33.5–41.33 in) and a weight of 130–275 kg
(287–606 lb) – heavier than three adult men.MOST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED PECCARY
The collared peccary or javelina (Pecari tajacu) extends from northern
Argentina through Central America and Mexico into the US states of Texas and
Arizona. It is also native to Caribbean islands such as Trinidad, Cuba and Puerto
Rico. Weighing as little as 14 kg (30 lb 13 oz), it is also the lightest peccary.If babirusas don’t grind their inwardly curving canine tusks,
they can grow long enough to penetrate their own skulls!A pig’s squeal
can be as loud as
115 decibelsThe collective name for a group
of pigs is a “drift” or “drove”Largest genus of pigs
The Sus genus contains 10 modern-day species
of typical pigs and wild boars. These include
not only the Eurasian wild boar (S. scrofa), the
direct ancestor of the domestic pig, but also
rare Asian island species including the Palawan
bearded pig (S. ahoenobarbus) and the Mindoro
warty pig (S. oliveri).Largest wild pig ever
The unicorn pig (Kubanochoerus gigas) lived
7–20 million years ago during the Miocene epoch
in modern-day Russia and China. It stood up to
1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) at the shoulder and weighed
as much as 500 kg (1,102 lb).Newest wild boar
The Central Asian wild boar (S. scrofa davidi)
was not recognized as a separate subspecies
of wild boar until 1981. Relatively small and
light brown in colour, with a long mane, it has
a distribution range extending from Pakistan
and north-western India to south-eastern Iran.Smallest pig
The mature male pygmy hog (Porcula salvania)
measures 61–71 cm (24–28 in) long; females grow
to 55–62 cm (21–24 in). Indigenous to the Terai
region of India, Nepal and Bhutan, since 1996
it has been listed as “Critically Endangered” by
the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN). Only isolated populations survive
in Assam, India, and wildlife sanctuaries.
This species is the only known host of an
ectoparasitic (i.e., existing on the outside) sucking
louse, making the pygmy hog-sucking louse
(Haematopinus oliveri) the rarest porcine
ectoparasite. Only around 150 pygmy hogs still
exist, meaning that both they and the pygmy hog-
sucking louse are listed as “Critically Endangered”.LARGEST HELL PIG
Known as hell or terminator pigs, entelodonts
were a now-extinct taxonomic family of pig-
like omnivores that were alive during the early
Miocene epoch. The largest species – Daeodon
shoshonensis, aka Dinohyus hollandi – stood
1.8–2.0 m (5 ft 10 in–6 ft 6 in) at the shoulder, taller
than an average human male (see below). Its
90-cm-long (35.4-in) skull held a brain
no larger than an orange.Q: How much of their DNA
do humans share with pigs?
A: Approximately 95%LARGEST BABIRUSA
The babirusa, or “deer-pig”, is notable for
its curved canine tusks. All members of the
Babyrousa genus were considered a single
species until they were divided up in 2002.
A native of Indonesia’s Togian Archipelago –
where it is found on the small islands of Malenge,
Batudaka, Togian and Talatakoh – the Malenge
or Togian babirusa (B. togeanensis) can tip the
scales at 90 kg (198 lb).