Potbellied pigs do not have curly tails and Kunekune pigs can have either straight or curly tails.Īs a result, most pigs that are marketed as mini pigs do not have curly tails. Most mini pigs are either Potbellied pigs or Kunekune pigs. Mini pigs are not an actual breed of pig. Over the last few decades, these feral pigs have grown in great numbers, even to the point of threatening native plants and animal species.Īnd those feral breeds have straight tails, even though their ancestors had curly tails. In Texas, much of the Southern United States, and parts of Canada, once domesticated pig breeds have become wild feral pigs. But, it’s interesting that even domestic pig breeds, with curly tails, have straight tails when they become wild feral colonies. Most wild hogs breeds have straight tails. Most pigs have at least some worms, but when the worms become overwhelming to the pig’s health, it can affect the tail.Īt that point, the tail may straighten. Often, a pig that is purchased or adopted from a stressful environment into a calm, cleaner one, will have a curly tail after a few months of the new lifestyle.įor some breeds of pigs, a curly tail that goes straight can mean that the pig has too many worms for its comfort. This has also been demonstrated by individual pigs. There are other domestic breeds that have straight tails such as the endangered Cinta Senese Pig from Italy. Potbellied pigs, Tamworth, Kunekune pigs, and Mulefoot all have straight tails even though they are domesticated pig breeds. Several domestic pig breeds have straight tails. Interestingly, the feral hogs of Texas have straighter tails.įeral hogs are wild pigs that originate from once domesticated pig breeds. Many breeds of domestic pigs have curly tails, but the majority of wild pigs do not have curly tails. In the past, pigs weren’t confined to the same degree and so probably didn’t have the tendency to bite each other. The stress of many hogs raised in a smaller area brings out the biting tendency. On the family farm or rural farm, pigs seldom bite each other. However, the issue of pigs biting each other is usually only an issue on factory farms. This theory arises from the problem of factory farm pigs, who have a tendency to bite each other.įactory pigs usually have their tails docked and their teeth shortened to prevent this issue. Once again, the origins of the Yorkshire pigs are not documented but was recognized in the 1700s as a pig breed.Ĭonversely, the Meishan pig, developed in China has a straight tail.īefore that, it seems like people really didn’t pay attention to the breeds of pigs or their origins.Ī less likely theory is that a pig’s curly tail was developed to prevent farm pigs from biting each other’s tail. There is no documentation on the breeds used to create the Large White Pig, but it was first recognized in the late 1800s as a breed originating out of the Yorkshire Pig. Chinese pigs could have been used as some of the parent breeds of the Large White Pig, but that would have had to have been thousands of years ago. For example, the Large White Pig originates from Yorkshire England, not China. The belief that all pig breeds with curly tails originate from China cannot be proved. Or, it could be a trait that was developed from wild hogs, a few of which have curly tails in China.īut, contrary to popular belief, China has wild hogs without curly tails as well. This could have also been because some pigs were then used in pig fights. Over thousands of years, the winning pigs, aka the survivors, developed curly tails.Īnother theory is that Chinese farmers liked curly tails and purposefully bred curly tails into their pigs. As a result, pigs with curly tails are more likely to win the fight. During a pig fight, the pigs bite each other’s tails. In China, pig fighting has been a popular sport for thousands of years.Ĭhina is one of the few countries in the world that still allows pig fighting. It’s believed that any pig breed with at least some ancestors out of China will have a curly tail. Pig breeds that originated out of China have curly tails. Pig Breeds From Certain Areas Have Curly Tails It is likely that curly tails was not an intended trait bred by Chinese farmers, but was an accidental trait that was bred from pig fighting. Wild pigs don’t have curly tails, except for a few wild pig breeds in China. Why do pigs have curly tails? Many domestic pig breeds have curly tails because that trait was bred in domestic Chinese pigs over thousands of years. This article will answer those questions. Some of the common questions include curiosity around why pigs have curly tails if the tail indicates a pig’s emotional health and other similar questions. The growing popularity of pig decoration, pet pigs, and pig obsession has many people asking about pigs. Pigs have become one of the most loved animals in recent years.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |