April

3^rd Hour

February 26, 2009

Did you know pigs help us in many ways?  Some people think of pigs as messy, stinky, lazy, and dumb.  My report will prove to those people that pigs have an interesting history and are valuable to humans.

Learn about Pigs

          The words pig, hog, and swine are all generic terms without regard to gender, size, or breed.  A male pig is called a boar.  A female pig is called a gilt if she has not had piglets yet and a sow if she has had piglets.  Pigs weigh about 2½ pounds at birth.  Adult females weigh up to 400 pounds and adult males weigh up to 900 pounds.

  Their snout or nose is made of tough cartilage covered with tiny sensitive pores.  Pigs use their snouts as a digging tool.  They also have a keen sense of smell. Many pigs have wiggly, curly tails.  Some pigs have straight tails.  Some pigs have beautiful, long eyelashes.  They have small eyes and poor eyesight.

Talented Animals

            Pigs are the smartest barnyard animal.  Pigs are the 4^th smartest animal group in the world, following humans, apes and chimps, and whales and dolphins, according to The Wonder Pigs website.  Some pigs do tricks like dogs.  Some pigs come when they are called.  Others follow their owners like dogs.  They can be taught to roll over, retrieve, and pull a cart.

Have you wondered why pigs roll in the mud?  It is because pigs do not have sweat glands.  They roll in the mud to keep cool and to protect themselves from the sun, not to get dirty.   Pigs are very tidy animals.  They would rather be clean than dirty.  In fact, they like to maintain separate eating, sleeping, and defecating areas.

Pigs don’t “eat like pigs.”  Pigs eat only until they are full.

With their keen sense of smell, pigs can find special mushrooms called truffles that are very valuable and grow only in France.  Pigs dig up the truffles with their snout.

Because of their keen sense of smell, pigs have been trained to locate land mines by Israel, according to an article from the Australian Broadcasting Co.   Field tests have yielded positive results.  In hundreds of tests, the pigs stepped on dummy mines only three times.

Part of our History

            Pigs originated from Eurasian wild boars.  Swine were among the first of all animals to be domesticated, about 6,000 years ago in China.  The Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto brought the first swine to the New World in 1539.  Christopher Columbus had pigs on his second voyage to the Americas.

          On Manhattan Island, New York City, the hogs roamed through grain fields digging up roots until farmers were forced to build a wall to keep them out.  The street running along this wall became Wall Street.   Today, Wall Street is in the heart of New York City and is famous for the New York Stock Exchange.

          In colonial times, hogs were driven to market over trails.  These trails were later used by the railroad companies to build railroads.

The Amazing Pig

            There are many products we use that are made from parts of pigs.  Gelatin and glue are made from their bones and skin.  Lipstick and crayons are made from pig glycerin or fat.  Glass and fertilizer are made from bone meal.  Buttons and china are made from dried bones.  Other products we get from pigs include chalk, weedkillers, floor wax, antifreeze, paint , and chewing gum.

          Pigs provide us with many food products as well.  If you like hot dogs, you can thank a pig.  Pigs give us many delicious foods, including pork chops, bacon, ham, spareribs, and sausage.  Pork ranks 1^st in the world as the meat most eaten.  In the United States, pork ranks 3^rd, after beef and poultry.  Pork provides protein and B-vitamins.  It has three times as much thiamin as any other food.  Thiamin changes carbohydrates into energy.

          Pig skin is used for leather.  Has your mother ever had pigskin gloves?  Pig bristles are used for brushes.      

          We need medicines to live a healthy life.  Pigs provide us with about 40 different drugs.   Perhaps the most important drug that we get from pigs is insulin which comes from pig pancreas glands.  Pig heart valves have been placed in human hearts.  Pigs can help people with growth problems through the use of hormones.  Because pig skin is like human skin, it is used to treat burn victims.

          Did this report teach you new things about pigs?   I’ve shown you that pigs are smart, interesting, and very clean and tidy animals. Pigs have given us food, medicines, and a good history. How many of you have had bacon for breakfast?   When you eat bacon you should thank a pig.  If you like to chew gum you should thank a pig.  If you had a heart valve replaced you might want to thank a pig.  In this report you have learned why pigs are valuable to us. 

Works Cited

"Facts About Pigs!" 16 Feb. 2009.

Gibbons, Gail. Pigs. New York: Holiday House, 1999.

"History of Pigs." Kidipede. 16 Feb. 2009.

"Pig By-Products Math." Education and Kids. 18 Feb. 2009.

"Pig History." 16 Feb. 2009.

"Pigs." Global Action Network. 25 Feb. 2009.

"Pigs, Pork, Swine Facts." Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom. 16 Feb. 2009.

Swan, Sara. A True Book: Pigs. Danbury CT: Children's P, 2000.

The Ubiquitous Pig. New York: Alandale P, 1992.