PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Pigs are cloven-hoofed, even-toed animals with roundish, heavy bodies, short legs, thick skin, a longish, rounded snout and 44 teeth.

The Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig is usually black, although spotted animals occur. Adults weigh about 125 pounds.

Their body looks pushed together from front to rear because the backbone is bent like a saddle, causing the abdomen to nearly drag on the ground (as it indeed does in pregnant females).

The loose skin has many folds, and hair growth is scarce. Its extremely short snout and deep wrinkles on the animal's face give it an exotic countenance. It has become popular in zoos due to its pug-nose, cute appearance, small size, friendly demeanor, early maturity, and the fact that it breeds readily in captivity.

DISTRIBUTION:

Vietnamese Pot-Bellied pigs are from Southeast Asia. They are a sub-species of the common pig, probably descended from a Chinese ancestor.

BEHAVIOR:

Pigs are active animals that trot when they run and can gallop quickly for short distances. They have favorite areas for visiting, sleeping, back-scratching, wallowing and feeding. They need abundant water and favor mud wallows for keeping their skin cool and moist.

Pigs have poor vision but excellent senses of smell and hearing.

In the wild, they may form herds of considerable numbers, one herd keeping its distance from others. Herd members communicate with a variety of squeaks, grunts, gurgles and other sounds, including different sneezes and a noise made with their teeth.

DIET:

Pigs will eat almost anything. They are fond of tubers and roots, their teeth being good for digging but weak for chewing. They are primarily herbivorous preferring roots, tubers, shoots, berries, fruits; plus grubs and worms, eggs, small quantities of meat. In the wild, they take eggs and birds, and even attack weak or sickly small mammals.

REPRODUCTION and GROWTH:

Usually only one farrow (litter) is produced annually. Mating rituals are sometimes violent, the sow being inflicted with bite wounds.

Gestation, surprisingly, lengthens as the sow ages, from 114-130 days in young females to 133-140 in older ones. Two to 14 piglets per farrow are typical. They are tiny at birth, blind and helpless. The active newborns struggle to the sow's teats, breaking the umbilical cord and competitively establishing a suckling order.

The sow is fiercely defensive, allowing only other nursing females to approach. Mother's milk is the primary food for 2-3 months, although piglets will take solid food as early as two weeks. The piglets nurse and are cared for by the sow for about one year.