Suidae is the biological
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
to which
pigPigs are a genus of even-toed ungulates within the family Suidae. The name hog most commonly refers to the domestic pig in everyday parlance, but technically encompasses several distinct species, including the wild boar...
s and their relatives belong. Up to sixteen species are currently recognized, including the domestic pig
Sus scrofa or
S. domesticus. They are classified into between four and eight
generaIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
. In addition to numerous species of wild pig, the family includes the
babirusaThe North Sulawesi Babirusa, Babyrousa celebensis, is a pig-like animal native to northern Sulawesi and the nearby Lembeh Islands in Indonesia. It has two pairs of large tusks composed of enlarged canine teeth. The canines in the maxilla penetrate the top of the snout, curving back toward the...
Babyrousa babyrussa and the
warthogThe Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in Africa....
Phacochoerus aethiopicus. All of the species are found in the
Old WorldThe Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans in the 15th century.-Regions:The Old World includes Europe, Asia, and Africa , plus surrounding islands...
, ranging from Asia and its islands, to Europe, and Africa.
The earliest fossil suids date from the
OligoceneThe Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
epoch of Asia, and their descendants reached Europe during the
MioceneThe Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the...
. Several fossil species are known, and show adaptations to a wide range of different diets, from strict herbivory to possible carrion-eating (in
Toconodon).
Physical characteristics
Suids belong to the
orderIn scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Artiodactyla, and are generally regarded as the living members of that order most similar to the ancestral form. Unlike most other members of the order, they have four toes on each foot, although they walk only on the middle two digits, with the others staying clear of the ground. They also have a simple stomach, rather than the more complex,
ruminantPhysiologically, a ruminant is a mammal of the order Artiodactyla that digests plant-based food by initially softening it within the animal's first stomach, known as the rumen, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again. The process of rechewing the cud to...
, stomach found in most other Artiodactyl families.
They are small to medium animals, varying in size from 58 to 66cm in length, and 6-9 kg in weight in the case of the
Pygmy HogPygmy hog is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer...
, to 130-210 cm and 130-275 kg in the
Giant Forest HogThe Giant Forest Hog is the largest wild member of the pig family Suidae. It is the only member of the genus Hylochoerus. Males can reach as much as 2 metres in length and 1.1 metres high at the shoulder and have been known to weigh as much as 600 pounds ; but such claims are often exaggeration...
. They have large heads and short necks, with relatively small eyes and prominent ears. Their heads have a distinctive snout, ending in a disc-shaped nose. Suids typically have a bristly coat, and a short tail ending in a tassle. The males possess a
corkscrewA corkscrew is a tool for drawing stopping corks from wine bottles. Generally, it consists of a pointed metallic helix attached to a handle. The user grips the handle and screws the metal point through the cork, entwining the cork and corkscrew so that moving one moves the other...
-shaped
penisThe penis is an external sexual organ of certain biologically male organisms, in both vertebrates and invertebrates....
, which fits into a similarly shaped groove in the female's
cervixThe cervix is the lower, narrow portion of the uterus where it joins with the top end of the vagina. It is cylindrical or conical in shape and protrudes through the upper anterior vaginal wall. Approximately half its length is visible with appropriate medical equipment; the remainder lies above...
.
Suids have a well developed sense of hearing, and are vocal animals, communicating with a series of grunts, squeals, and similar sounds. They also have an acute sense of smell. Many species are omnivorous, eating grass, leaves, roots, insects, worms, and even frogs or mice. Other species are more selective and purely herbivorous.
Their teeth reflect their diet, and suids retain the upper
incisorIncisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s, which are lost in most other Artiodactyls. The canine teeth are enlarged to form prominent tusks, used for rooting in moist earth or undergrowth, and in fighting. They have only a short
diastemaDiastema is a gap or space between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
. The number of teeth varies between species, but the general
dental formulaDentition is the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth.All mammals except the monotremes, the xenarthrans, the pangolins, and the cetaceans have up to four distinct types of teeth, with a maximum number for each. These are the incisor , the canine, the premolar, and the molar ...
is:
Behaviour and reproduction
Despite their apparently 'primitive' anatomy, suids are intelligent and adaptable animals. Adult females travel in groups called sounders, together with their young, whilst adult males are either solitary, or travel in small bachelor groups. They are generally not territorial animals, and come into conflict only during the mating season.
Litter size varies between one and twelve, depending on the species. The mother prepares a grass nest or similar den, which the young leave after about ten days. Suids are
weanedWeaning is the process of gradually introducing a mammal infant, either human or animal, to what will be its adult diet and withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.The process takes place only in mammals, as only mammals produce milk...
at around three months, and become sexually mature at 18 months. In practice, however, male suids are unlikely to gain access to sows in the wild until they have reached their full physical size, at around four years of age. In all species, the male is significantly larger than the female, and possesses more prominent tusks.
Classification
The complete list of living species, and a partial list of fossil genera, follows:
- Babyrousa
Babyrousa is a genus in the pig family found in Wallacea in Indonesia. The genus is monotypic within the subfamily Babyrousinae, or alternatively considered to form a tribe, Babyrousini, of the subfamily Suinae. All members of this genus were considered part of a single species until recently, the...
- Babyrousa babyrussa Golden Babirusa
- Babyrousa bolabatuensis†
- Babyrousa celebensis Sulawesi Babirusa
- Babyrousa togeanensis Togian Babirusa
- Chleuastochoerus†
- Conohyus†
- Hylochoerus
- Hylochoerus meinertzhageni Giant Forest Hog
The Giant Forest Hog is the largest wild member of the pig family Suidae. It is the only member of the genus Hylochoerus. Males can reach as much as 2 metres in length and 1.1 metres high at the shoulder and have been known to weigh as much as 600 pounds ; but such claims are often exaggeration...
- Kubanochoerus
Kubanochoerus was a genus of large, long-legged pigs from the Miocene of Eurasia.-Description:The largest species, the aptly named K. gigas, grew to be up at the shoulder, and probably weighed up to in life. The heads of these pigs were unmistakable, with small eyebrow horns, and a large horn...
†
- Listriodon†
- Metridiochoerus
Metridiochoerus is an extinct genus of pig indigenous to the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Africa.-Description:Metridiochoerus was a large animal, in length, resembling a giant warthog. It had two large pairs of tusks which were pointed sideways and curved upwards...
†
- Microstonyx†
- Phacochoerus
Phacochoerus is a genus of even-toed ungulate in the Suidae family, comprising 2 species. It is the sole genus of subfamily Phacochoerinae....
- Phacochoerus aethiopicus Cape, Somali or Desert Warthog
The Desert Warthog is a species of even-toed ungulate in the Suidae family. It is found in Kenya, Somalia, possibly Djibouti, possibly Eritrea, and possibly Ethiopia. This is the range of the extant subspecies, commonly known as the Somali Warthog...
- Phacochoerus africanus Common Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in Africa....
- Porcula
- Porcula salvania Pygmy Hog
Pygmy hog is an endangered species of small wild pig, previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now only found in Assam. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer...
- Potamochoerus
Potamochoerus is a genus in the pig family . The two species are restricted to Sub-saharan Africa, although the Bushpig, possibly due to introduction by man, also occurs in Madagascar and nearby islands.-Species:...
- Potamochoerus larvatus Bushpig
The Bushpig is a member of the pig family that lives in forest thickets, riverine vegetation and reedbeds close to water in Africa. They are mainly nocturnal and are seldom seen during the day...
- Potamochoerus porcus Red River Hog
The Red River Hog , also known as the Bush Pig , is a wild member of the pig family living in the rainforests, mountains and riparian scrub of Africa....
- Sus
SUS or Sus can refer to:SUS*Saybolt Universal Seconds, units of viscosity*Science Undergraduate Society of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec*Scottish Universities Sport*Shanghai University of Sport*Semantically Unpredictable Sentence...
- Sus ahoenobarbus Palawan Bearded Pig
The Palawan Bearded Pig is a species of pig endemic to the Philippines, where they can only be found on the islands of Balabac, Palawan and the Calamian Islands. They are 1 to 1.6 metres in length, about 1 metre tall and weigh up to 150 kg...
- Sus barbatus Bearded Pig
The Bearded Pig , also known as the Bornean Bearded Pig, is a species of pig. It can be recognized by its prominent beard. It also sometimes has tassels on its tail. It is primarily found in Southeast Asia—Sumatra, Borneo, the eastern Philippines—where it inhabits rainforests and mangrove forests....
- Sus bucculentus Vietnamese Warty Pig
- Sus cebifrons Visayan Warty Pig
The Visayan Warty Pig, Sus cebifrons, is a critically endangered species of pig. The Visayan warty pig is endemic to two of the Visayan Islands in the central Philippines, and is threatened by habitat loss, food shortages and hunting - these are the leading causes of the Visayan Warty Pig's status...
- Sus celebensis Celebes Warty Pig
The Celebes Warty Pig , Sulawesi warty pig or Sulawesi Pig, lives on Sulawesi in Indonesia. It survives in most habitats and can live in altitudes of up to 2,500 metres.- External links :*...
- Sus heureni Flores Warty Pig
The Flores Warty Pig , is a species of pig found in Southern Asia.-External links:* in the The Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life....
- Sus oliveri Mindoro Warty Pig
- Sus philippensis Philippine Warty Pig
- Sus scrofa (also called S. domesticus) Domestic pig
The domestic pig is normally given the scientific name Sus scrofa scrofa, though some taxonomists use the term S. domestica, reserving S. scrofa for the wild boar...
, wild boar
- Sus verrucosus Javan Warty Pig
- Toconodon†