30+ Pigs Facts For Kids: Learn All About The Smartest Farmyard Animal

Who is your favorite famous pig?

From Pumba and Babe, to Wilbur the beloved piglet in 'Charlotte's Web', this farmyard creature has been stealing our hearts for decades. But are pigs really so sweet?

Well, piglets are undeniably adorable, and there's not doubt that pigs are one of the most intelligent and sociable creatures in the world, but check out our interesting pig facts for kids and see for yourself... they might not be as sweet as the movies made out!

If you are interested in learning some cool facts about pigs and maybe some amazing pig trivia too, then this list of amazing facts about pigs for kids, is here to help, we have also included some super cute piglet facts for kids too!

If you would like to carry on learning about some more animals after you've had your fill of fun facts about pigs for kids, why not check out Bear facts and Chihuahua facts?

Pigs are often mistaken for being mucky sweaty animals, but that could not be further from the truth! Check out our amazing pig facts and see what you think.

1. You'll often see them rolling around in the mud, but pigs are actually exceptionally clean animals. They even designate a spot far away from their living and feeding areas as their toilet, how sanitary!

2. Pigs love a good roll in the mud because it keeps them cool! Pigs have hardly any sweat glands, so they have to lower their outer body temperature somehow and this is how they cool off, plus it probably is pretty fun.

3. Pigs are also sometimes called 'hogs' or 'swine'. Female pigs are known as 'sows' while male pigs are called 'boars'.

4. All pigs share a common ancestor, the Eurasian wild boar.

5. As pigs began to be domesticated and bred more for meat, they are now quite different in appearance to the wild boar. An escaped domestic pig, however, will take on more 'wild pig' characteristics and their offspring are harder to tell apart through the generations.

6. The wild pig is one of the most destructive and invasive species in the United States today! They are very resilient and can survive in harsh conditions, so controlling their numbers has proved a challenge.

7. In the wild, pigs will root around and eat all sorts from leaves and fruit, to small reptiles and rodents! Yep, pigs are omnivores, meaning they will eat plants and meat. Basically they just aren't particularly fussy and see most food as fair game!

8. Although they will eat meat, pigs don't hunt. They will simply eat whatever they come across, these guys are eating machines and they just love trying new food.

9. Pigs really have been known to eat anything, and we mean anything. The only thing they can't digest is teeth, yikes!

10. The average fully grown pig can weigh between 300 and 700 pounds. However the world record for the heaviest pig has not been beaten since 1933. Big Bill from Tennessee weighed in at 2,552 pounds. Now that is a big pig.

11. Pigs have pretty bad eyesight, but an amazing sense of smell. A pig's sense of smell is around 2000 times more sensitive than ours!

12. A pig's squeal can be reach 115 decibels, that’s three whole decibels higher than the sound of a supersonic airliner.

13. Pigs are one of the smartest of all domesticated animals, even smarter than dogs!  

14. Right now, there are around two billion pigs on the planet! They can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

15. On the Chinese zodiac, the pig is seen to represent, fortune, honesty, happiness and virility.

16. Have you ever heard of the Tamworth Two? This brother and sister pair of pigs escaped while on their way to the slaughterhouse, and went on the run for over a week! They were eventually captured but due to national outcry, were sent to live out their days at a sanctuary.

17. A domestic pig can live for up to 20 years, they make faithful pets and have also been know to make pretty great guard animals!
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Despite some of the facts above, pigs still remain very cute animals in our opinion! There is still more to learn about pigs, check out these fun pig facts.

18. 1 March is National Pig Day! Yes, there is a whole day dedicated to celebrating our porky pals.

19. Pigs love to relax, they enjoy massages, listening to music, getting a nice back scratch and playing with their favorite toys.

20. Pigs are really sociable and can form amazingly strong bonds with each other, other animals, and humans.

21. Pigs like to build nests! Especially sows about to give birth, they will search for sticks, leaves and hay to make a pile and arrange into a cozy nest.

22. Pigs love new experiences, they can get bored living in a monotonous environment and need some kind of stimulation to keep them feeling happy. However, they are afraid of loud noises such as yelling or dog barks.

23. In order to keep warm and for comfort, pigs are often seen cuddled up to each other.

24. Pigs not only snuggle up, but their favorite way to sleep is nose to nose, how adorable!

25. Pigs like to chat, and use grunts and squeals to communicate. More than 20 different vocalizations have been identified from various groups of pigs.

26. Pigs have amazing memories. They can remember things for years and years and can recognize and remember people and places, sources of food and even how to use objects.

27. There is an uninhabited island in the Bahamas where pigs quite literally rule the roost and love spending time in the ocean, have you ever seen  a pig swim? Now that is cute.

Are you ready for some baby pig facts? Babies are always pretty cute but after reading this list you will be all about pigs!

28. Baby pigs are called piglets. A well cared for sow will give birth to 10 piglets per litter, and she will usually give birth twice a year!

29. A sow will be pregnant for three months, three weeks and three days, how precise!

30. Piglets weigh around 2.5 pounds at birth, and this will usually double within the first week.

31. Piglets are super smart animals and can be trained to learn their names at just two weeks old.

32. A mother pig will communicate to her piglets while nursing through grunting. Piglets each have their own teat that they will search for and use every time they nurse.

33. Mother pigs have been known to "sing" while they nurse their young.

34. Unlike most other baby animals in the world, piglets are born ready to run and walk, their eyes are open and they are raring to go!

35. Piglets are super sensitive the cold and will snuggle up at any opportunity, they will also burrow down into hay in their pens to keep warm.

We hope you had fun reading these facts about pigs for kids! Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy. If you liked our pig facts and information, then why not take a look at calico cat facts, or milk facts?