Crossword Dictionary
pig
hog, pig, grunter, squealer, Sus scrofa - n
domestic swine
pig, wild or domestic swine, a mammal of the Suidae family. In Britain the term pig refers to all domestic swine, while in the United States it refers to younger swine not yet ready for market and weighing usually less than 82 kg (180 pounds), others being called hogs. Pigs are stout-bodied, short-legged, omnivorous mammals, with thick skin usually sparsely coated with short bristles. Their hooves have two functional and two nonfunctional digits.
Domestic North American pigs originated from wild stocks still found in European, Asian, and North African forests. Wild pigs are not truly native to North America but are believed to have been introduced on Christopher Columbus’ssecond voyage in 1493 and brought to the mainland in the early 1500s. There is little difference between wild pigs, or boars, and domestic swine, though the tusklike teeth of domestic pigs are not as developed as the tusks of their wild kin, who use the sharp ends to forage for roots and as a defensive weapon. Wild pigs may live up to 25 years or more.
Domestic pigs are categorized according to three basic types: large-framed lardtypes with a comparatively thick layer of fat and carcasses usually weighing at least 100 kg (220 pounds); smaller bacon types, with carcasses of about 70 kg (150 pounds); and pork types with carcasses averaging around 45 kg (100 pounds).