The adorable little pig humans have not only relied on for pork, but have come to appreciate in cartoons, such as Porky Pig in the Warner Brother’s Loony Toons, or even in children’s stories, such as Charlotte’s Web, seems like such a common farm animal, or even now pet, that people may overlook the deep […]
Contact with Humans
Certain characteristics in animals make them more desirable for domestication. Many of these characteristics revolve around behavioral traits, some of which include a group structure, sexual behavior, parent-young interactions, and responses to humans (Zeder). So what exactly prompted various cultures to domesticate the wild boar? Since the pig had to have undergone domestication several times, […]
Ethology
To have a well-developed understanding of the species of the modern domestic pig, or Sus Scrofa Domesticus, one must not only explore the pig’s history, but also its behavioral patterns; in other words, its ethology. Beyond the brief description of pig and other successfully domesticated animals’ common behavioral characteristics provided in the previous section of […]
References
Angier, Natalie. “Pigs Prove to Be Smart, If Not Vain.” New York Times 10 Nov. 2009: D1.The New York Times. 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. Brix, Lise. “Humans Have Added New Bones to the Pig.” Sciencenordic.com. N.p., 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Butler, Chris. “The Flow of History.” FC5: The Domestication of […]