I posted this picture over at my other blog this morning and someone looking over my shoulder said, "Aren't you posting that on the wrong site?"
Well, no, but it's certainly an animal that belongs here too. In fact, I was illustrating the following quote:
The Babirusa is one of the ugliest of the wild swine.
This is almost the exact scene my wife will encounter one afternoon if this holiday season plays out the way I intend: I will be overfed and lounging on the floor, soaking up the sun.
Photo source: Nigel Fogden
Pot bellied pigs hail from Vietnam and come in 14 subspecies. A word to the wise: these pigs are smart, which makes them trainable. They're also affectionate, which makes them good companions. But they're also voracious eaters and can learn to open refrigerators, cabinets, and pantries, and might even get aggressive with kids who have food they want. Also, they can get to looking like this if their diet isn't regulated. There are many pig rescue facilities out there if you want one that's been abandoned. But be aware of what you're getting into before you get one (the same goes for any pet).
Aw, look at the little babirusa sleeping. How sweet is that? Look at the naked, wrinkled, porcine flesh as it naps in the shade. How about those elfin, bat-like ears? Oh, and those precious teeth, with the upper tusks thrusting through the flesh of the snout? Seriously, just like seeing a child who has been misbehaving all day fall asleep and you're reminded of how much you love them, so it is when you see this pig at rest.
Photo source: Marika Bell
Why do those teeth grow through the snout like that? If you talk to the natives of the small tropical Indonesian island of Sulawesi, it's because the pig likes to rest his head by hooking the tusks over low hanging tree branches (I could use tusks like that...).
Or perhaps the tusks curve back like that to protect the eyes and face from the lower, slashing tusks of rival males. Whatever the reason, take a moment and look at your own teeth in the mirror and take some consolation from the fact that no matter how gnarly they are, how much like baked beans or candy corn they may look like, not one of them has grown through your nose and is now protruding over your eye.
This scene played out in Parc National de la Pendjari, Benin. The big warthog chased around the little one for quite some time.
My first thought was that the big guy's a real jerk. Pick on someone your own size, right? But then, being a big brother, I have many memories of chasing down my young siblings because they egged me on. There's a decent chance that the little guy has it coming.
Bully? Comeuppance? In the end, they're simply warthogs.
Photo source: Jonas Van de Voorde
Are Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs really supposed to get this big in captivity? This one is housed at the Granby Zoo in Quebec, Canada, so I assume it's being properly cared for. Maybe I assume too much...
I once had a friend (I know, hard to believe), who owned a pot-bellied pig. The pig, who was by then full-grown, had free run of their several acres. One day my friend's mom was backing up in the mini-van. She didn't think to look behind her, and so was quite surprised when her van heaved and bounced over something in the driveway. When she came to a halt, she looked over her steering wheel to see that she had run over the pig. The pig, for his part, got to his feet (he had been sunning himself in the early morning sunlight), grunted at the van in indignation, and walked up to the porch where he resumed his nap.
Photo source: Gaëtan Bourque
Is she a wizened old gal with wisdom to share for the rising generation of pigs? Or is she simply another overfed hog?
Anyone know what breed this is? Those are some big ears and a very wrinkled face. I was thinking Meishan, but they tend to be hairy and not so pink. At times like this I deplore my dearth of porcine knowledge!
UPDATE: Anonymous has identified this as a fengjing pig. Thanks, anon.
Photo source: Paco Cabeza-Lopez
Ever wonder what was beneath a pig's snout? Well, now you know. A dentist's dream,an HMO's nightmare, and enough tusk to keep my fingers on this side of the fence.
The warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is found throughout most of Africa. It's the only pig on the planet that is able to endure an environment in which there is no water for several months out of the year. How does it do that? Most likely they're able to endure a higher-than-normal body temperature, which allows them to store moisture in their body for consumption through the dry months. They are, in a word, hot. Camels do the same thing.
The males are larger than the females, and can weigh in at over 300 lbs. But since warthogs live in small matriarchal clans, the males get very aggressive when it comes to access to the ladies. That's most lilkely why this pair began sparring. Ironically, it was the boar with the larger of the tusks that walked away from the fight. Seems that being cantankerous, combative, and scrappy counts for a lot. I'll be teaching that life lesson to my children.
As a sidenote: Those warts are knobby protrusions meant to protect the head in such fights. Would that all warts were functional.
Photo by Thomas Retterath
This pig does seem to be happy. And dare I say, he sure know how to ham it up for the camera?
Enjoy your weekend folks. I know this pig will.
Photo by Gigglejuice
I know, I'm posting on something that's already been covered by Cute Overload. But bear in mind I'm looking at the adult, not the adorable piglets.
Anyways...
China knows how to do pigs right. Well, wrinkly at least. Just like so many of their other animals (think shar pei and pug). You're looking at the meishan pig, which is a domesticated breed known for being slow growing and delicious. They are also one of the most prolific pigs. They reach puberty by the time they're three months old, and can have two litters a year. Add to that a high embryo survival rate, and you've got yourself a pig that can take over the world. I'm thinking Animal Farm here, only with a Chinese flavor to it. Not terribly inappropriate.
Thanks for the meishan, Laura.
Two of my kids have bad colds, resulting in constant disturbances at night, and the baby also demands nocturnal attention. That makes for a sleepy daddy. These photos demonstrate exactly what I'm feeling right now.
Warthog photo courtesy: Kim Murrell
Anyone care to take a stab at guessing why this creature is called the Bornean Bearded Pig? Let's go ahead and unravel this etymological mystery.
Borneo: it's native to the forest floors of Borneo.
Bearded: it looks like it's bearded.
Pig: it's a pig.
This pig is not unlike it's other less bearded cousins. Pigs are highly intelligent, some would argue smarter than dogs. They can even be trained to play computer games (though they were disappointed with Halo 3, and Wii remotes are useless in their cloven hooves). They are highly social and hygenic. Bear in mind that most of the live pigs you have seen are at a farm, fair, petting zoo, or factory. In the wild, they organize along familial lines in herds, are gregarious, and the sows make for very devoted mothers.
If Charlotte's Web had featured the Bornean Bearded Pig, she might have woven, "That Pig's Got Hops!". They can leap a seven foot barrier.
Someone should contact Gillette and have them recruit this critter for their new mascot. Gillette, or Nike. I see a corporate sponsorship in the future.
Photo source: digitalART2
I'm really pushing the boundaries of ugly on this one, but pigs are pigs, and they are always welcome here.
What? Pigs? Yes, you're looking at the world's smallest and rarest wild pig on the planet. The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) weighs in at most 20 lbs, and only reaches 10-12 inches high. They were once thought to be extinct, but convervation efforts and captive breeding programs have allowed this diminutive pig to be rereleased into the wild of northern India.
Only sixteen of them now roam free (semi-free--they are still within a larger enclosure), so let's wish them the best of luck. Hopefully the mini boars and mini sows will be feeling the love over these next few years. Perhaps the officials at the Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary will be playing some Barry White over the sanctuary grounds come breeding time.
Thanks for the link, Ida.
Photo source: BBC News
My dinner last night featured some amazing, thick cut bacon. But I think I'll put my pork eating on a haitus for a few days after seeing this photo. But then, you are what you eat, and I feel some kinship with this pig.
Thanks for the photo, Ida.
I need some explanations people. I need the backstory to the pig-on-sofa photo. Who is that man? Why does he have a massive pig in his lap? Why the photo of the boar on the wall? Why does the pig look so happy and content?
And what in the world is this? Rhino/pig? Photoshopped? A new ugly that I've never heard of? Can I own one?
UPDATE: junxkat and amandacheryl have identified this as an undoctored photo of a Sumatran rhino. Lovely.
Thanks for the photos, Ida.
This Meishan pig is one of a family of pigs, living in the Teirpark zoo, Berlin, presented as the good luck pig family for Germany for 2008 (the pig is a good luck symbol in Germany).
This Chinese pig doesn't know how lucky he is (never mind the Germans). These swine are bred because they taste extra good. But I doubt this pig family is due for the butcher's shop any time soon (in '08 at least).
Photo source: Yahoo! News
This is one of those days when ugly means ugly. You know, we're taught by our institutions to respect every culture. We're all equal and all that. But that's just not so. This photo is proof. I've got a hard time respecting the culture/people that sponsor something like this.
UPDATE: Here's what Bambi slayer has to say about this:
This is a Louisiana Catahoula Curr, They are taditionally used to hunt Feral hogs and bay them up until the catch dog, that is usually a Pitbull or Pit Mix, catches up with the pack. He will charge head on and catch the boar or pig by the ears or snout. He will hold on until ordered off when the hunters catch up. The catch dog usually wears a collar that can be up to 12" wide to protect him from being cut by the tusks that are razor sharp. This picture was not taken in the woods but at a Hog dog trials, which is a truly barbaric form of entertainment but legal in Louisiana still.
I thought I had pretty well tapped out the swine family in terms of species covered, but how wrong I was. Anne emailed me this photo to let me know about the babirusa.
This endangered pig kin is native to Sulawesi and other islands around Indonesia. An interesting note on this beast is that there was some debate as to whether it was a pig, and whether it could be considered kosher or not. You see, the babirusa is split-hoofed, with a three-chambered stomach and was thought to be a ruminant. But, alas, it was eventually determined no to be a ruminant, and therefore not kosher. So close!
Thanks for the photo, Anne.
I must be feeling the weight of wading through so much ugly of late. Perhaps the burden I bear is one of guilt, for I feel the need to make some atonement to a beast that I have taken particular pleasure in putting on display here.
Below is a cute photo of an ugly animal - a mama warthog and her warthoglet (new word!).
Hmmm. Now that I look at it closer, I don't think it's so cute. Oh well. There goes my attempt at reconciliation. Sorry warthog. I tried.
Photo source: Yahoo!
Chinese
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish
