Pig-ture this!

All about pigs, hogs and swine Did you know that a sow can give birth to 8 to 12 piglets in one litter and can have up to 2 litters annually! And, pigs do not sweat because they do not have sweat glands, which also substantiates why they relish cool moments of mud rolling! Often perceived by many as lazy, filthy, greedy and stupid, pigs are in fact agile and intelligent creatures.

In the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari, we have five pig species, namely the Malayan bearded pig, babirusa, desert warthog, pot-bellied pig and the domestic pig. Similar yet different in many ways, you have to pay them a visit to make your own discovery.

And for those who wish to know more about these trotters, here's some ' oink-teresting' info

Malayan bearded pig

What makes them special:

• Both males & females have whiskers on their snouts and the sides of their face to form a ‘beard’
• long snout is used for digging buried roots and stems
• curved tusks help them dig into hard ground

Where they come from:

• they live in mangroves and forested areas of Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and the surrounding islands.

Where you can see them:

• You can see 11 of these “Bearded Beauties” at the Night Safari!!

Babirusa

What makes them special:

• the upper tusks of the babirusa grow through the snout and look very much like the antlers of a deer, which gives them their Malay name meaning “pig deer”
• males have larger tusks than the females, which are used for fighting and maintaining territory.
• There are only about 10,000 of them left in the wild. These rare pigs are hunted for their meat and being squeezed out of their natural habitat.

Where they come from:

• they come from the forests of the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru.

Where you can see them:

• We have 5 of these “Tusked Treasures” at the Zoo and 13 at the Night Safari!!

Desert warthog

What makes them special:

• the warthog has large warts located below its eyes and males have very prominent ones while females and juveniles have smaller warts.
• they also have long tusks and are often mistaken for babirusa, except that the warthog’s tusks grow from the sides of its mouth
• it is the only pig that can live for months in areas without water.
• it has such a short neck that it has to kneel down on its forelimbs to feed off the ground.

Where they come from:

- they are found on the grasslands and open woodlands of Africa

Where you can see them:

• The Zoo has two of these “Warty Wonders” living next to the pygmy hippos.

Pot-bellied pig

What makes them special:

• pot-bellied pigs have a sagging abdomen and loose wrinkled skin making them a very queer sight indeed
• herd members communicate with a variety of squeaks, grunts, gurgles and sneezes.
• they are sensitive to the sun and in the wild would wallow in mud to stay cool and protect their skin from sunburn
• pot-bellied pigs have made it to many American households as pets.

Where they come from:

• they are found in the grasslands of Southeast Asia

Where you can see them:

• Visit our 3 “Precious Pot-bellied Pigs” at the Zoo’s Children’s World Animal Land!!!

Domestic pig

What makes them special:

• pigs are one of the oldest forms of livestock that were domesticated thousands of years ago
• they are mostly used for food, but people have also used their hide for shields, their bones for tools and weapons, and their bristles for brushes.
• pigs are intelligent animals and are more trainable than dogs or cats.
• Some famous movie star pigs include Babe, and Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web