Things you never knew about pigs....

Each week we put up a ‘pig fact’ on the field to inform local people about pigs. If you cant make it to Folly Pigs in person then check here each week as we will also be posting the pig facts on this page.

WEEK 1

There are more than 180 species of pigs, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica.

WEEK 2

Pigs were first domesticated around 7,000 BC.

WEEK 3

A pig can run a 7 minute mile.

WEEK 4

A pig eats about 1 tonne of solid food each year.

WEEK 5

Pigs wallow in mud because they have no sweat glands, and the mud helps to keep them cool and to avoid insects.

WEEK 6

Pigs are very intelligent animals. They are often regarded by scientists as being the most intelligent of all livestock. They are considered by many experts to be more trainable than dogs. (We are not sure this is true of Margo, Jerry, Tom and Barbara!!)

WEEK 7

Captains used to keep pigs on board ships because they believed, if they were shipwrecked, pigs always swam toward the nearest shore.

WEEK 8

The average size of a pig litter is 12 piglets. Although the largest litter on record was 37!

WEEK 9

Pigs have a great sense of smell. They can find things underground and are used to find truffles and to sniff out drugs in some countries.

WEEK 10

The word barbecue is derived from French speaking pirates who called a Caribbean pork feast "de barbe et queue". Which translates "from beard to tail" (in other words, the pig could be consumed from head to toe).

WEEK 11

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