Domestic pig

The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it S. domesticus, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar. It was domesticated approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Pigs are found across Europe, the Middle East and extend into Asia as far as Indonesia and Japan. The distinction between wild and domestic animals is slight, and domestic pigs have become feral in many parts of the world (for example, New Zealand) and caused substantial environmental damage.

Related Topics:
Pig - Wild boar - Domesticated - Europe - Middle East - Asia - Indonesia - Japan - Feral - New Zealand

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sus scrofa has four subspecies, each occupying distinct geographical areas. They are Sus scrofa scrofa (western Africa, Europe), Sus scrofa ussuricus (northern Asia and Japan), Sus scrofa cristatus (Asia Minor, India), and Sus scrofa vittatus (Indonesia). Pigs were brought to southeastern North America from Europe by De Soto and other early Spanish explorers, where escapees became feral and were freely used by Native Americans as food.

Related Topics:
Africa - Japan - Asia Minor - India - North America - De Soto - Spanish - Native Americans

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~