Domestic pig: where does it live?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Today the main farm animal is the domestic pig. Where she lives and what she eats are the factors on which the value and taste of her meat will depend. These representatives of large artiodactyls are very prolific and omnivorous. Therefore, with proper care and favorable conditions, they can bring a good income to the one who breeds them. No wonder this animal was one of the very first, which in ancient times was domesticated by man.

Origin story

The ancestors of these large artiodactyls were wild boars, or, as they are also called, wild pigs. Everyone knows where they live. This is almost the entire territory of Europe, but earlier, it turns out, they were also found in Africa, where at one time they were exterminated to one and all. Wild boar habitats are mainly forest and steppe areas.

Omnivorousness and unpretentiousness in food are unique features that the domestic pig inherited from its ancestors. Where this animal lives, and also produces its numerous offspring - these can sometimes be places in which many other representatives of artiodactyls could not exist at all. She can settle in almost any place and she will never have problems with food. Therefore, archaeologists have found factsconfirming that ten thousand years ago people already kept pigs and ate their meat.

How did domestication happen?

When the first farmers appeared and the fields were sown, wild boars, tempted by the crops of various plants, sneaked into the gardens at night and stole the harvest. People waged an active struggle with the "midnight thieves" and caught wild piglets. Small boars quickly adapted to new conditions and food. This is how domestic pigs appeared. “Where do they live and what conditions do they need today?” - this question is now of interest to all those who are going to engage in pig breeding. And the answer to it is very simple, since ancient times these large artiodactyls have adapted so much to the living conditions that people create for them that they can live on all continents and in almost all countries.

On the territory of North America, these animals were brought from Europe by Spanish pioneers. Due to the fact that the indigenous population living there had not previously encountered pig breeding, the imported representatives of these artiodactyls fled from them. As a result, on these lands, on the contrary, a wild pig appeared, where it lives to this day. It is already over time that people living on this continent have bred a hybrid of European wild boar and domestic pigs.

With a constant population of approximately one billion, domesticated pigs are now proven to be the most numerous large mammals on earth.

Features of individuals and their living conditions

For todayToday, domestic pigs are significantly different from their ancestors, but still, some signs of wild boars are also inherent in these modern representatives of this species. They have poor eyesight, but very acute hearing and a highly developed sense of smell. They have preserved herd instinct since ancient times, and where a pig lives, she can create a real lair from her home, thus taking care of her offspring, if, of course, conditions allow.

For these representatives of artiodactyl animals with a large supply of fat, overheating is very dangerous. Therefore, where a pig should live, domestic and regardless of breed, the presence of some kind of water is necessary so that the pig can independently regulate its own body temperature. After all, when she wallows in a mud puddle, she does it not out of love for mud, but in order not to get heatstroke.

Habitat

In our time, pig breeding is very developed, so there are many such places and countries where the pig lives. Perhaps the only place on earth where you cannot see representatives of these domestic animals is Antarctica.

Ancestors - wild boars, still live in the forests of our planet, but their descendants - pigs domesticated by people, where do they live at home? It turns out that cattle breeders build stables and pigsties especially for them, in which they are fed and taken care of. A feature of such buildings is that instead of a floor there is often bare earth. This is done so that the pig can dig the ground, which she likes to do.since ancient times.

Benefit to humanity

Many people, engaged in pig breeding, receive from these animals, in addition to meat, also fat and skin. Also, their stiff bristles enable people to make a variety of brushes and brushes.

Mushroom lovers use pigs as bloodhounds. They can, thanks to their keen sense of smell, find rare and tasty truffles. Nowadays, scientists have even learned how to transplant some pig organs into humans, which can later save a human life.

Interesting facts

It turns out that for the ancient Egyptians and Chinese, these artiodactyls were considered sacred animals. They were sure of the following: a pig, where he lives and breeds, in that place happiness and prosperity will reign. Eating pork was allowed only on the occasion of any religious holidays, and the doctors of that time made a potion from pig blood, liver or bile, which had healing properties. When animals died, people even put homemade pigs decorated with colorful stones in their graves.

Since pigs have a limited ability to sweat - only their snouts sweat, they cannot live too much in hot countries. Therefore, even in ancient times, nomadic pastoralists did not breed individuals of this species in the deserts.

The Papuans living in New Guinea have created a real pig cult. They make her a full-fledged member of the family, who can eat food directly from the table along with everyone else. Here to heraddress by name, talk and console if she is crippled or injured. As a result, this animal gets so used to its owners that it accompanies them everywhere.

Now for many, the pig has become a real source of good income. It is grown both in specialized industrial complexes and in private farms. But in any case, a person who is going to engage in pig farming will not fail in choosing his business.