Pig Facts for Kids
Sus domesticus · SOOS doh-MESS-tih-kus
A clever farm animal with a flat nose that loves a mud bath.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 500 to 650 lb227 to 295 kg1
- 📏 size: not yet checked
- 🎂 15 to 20 years15 to 20 years1
- 🍽️ plants and animals
- Not on the Red List (Not assessed)
A pig is a farm animal with a curly tail and a flat nose. Pigs say oink. They roll in mud to stay cool.
Pigs can hardly sweat, so on hot days they roll in mud to cool off, and the mud keeps the sun off their skin too. A pig's flat nose is called a snout, and it is great for sniffing and digging. A baby pig is a piglet.
Pigs are some of the cleverest animals on the farm: they can learn their names, solve puzzles and remember where food is hidden. Farm pigs came from wild boar long ago. A pig's snout is strong and very good at smelling, which is why pigs have been used to sniff out mushrooms called truffles that grow under the ground. Mother pigs talk to their piglets with soft grunts.
How big is a pig?
Pig: no checked size yet, so there is nothing to draw. We only draw what a source says.
Pig in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 500 to 650 lb227 to 295 kg1full-grown pigs: about 500 to 650 pounds |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 15 to 20 years15 to 20 years1how long a pig can live; farm pigs seldom do |
| What it eats | pig feed made from grain, and vegetables |
| Where it lives | farms all over the world |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Not on the Red List (Not assessed) |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Pigs roll in mud to keep cool, because they hardly sweat.
- A pig can learn its own name.
- Farm pigs came from wild boar long ago.
Compare the pig
Friends and neighbours
Cow
Chicken
DogThree questions
Books about the pig, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the pig for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, small-acreage landowners: swine, checked 6 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Pig (Q787), checked 30 October 2026.