4 ms·
> pigs fed on the acorns they dropped I walked some extremely undulating oak woodland valleys recently, which seemed oddly absent of squirrels but perhaps that
by tomxor 4y ago
> pigs fed on the acorns they dropped
I walked some extremely undulating oak woodland valleys recently, which seemed oddly absent of squirrels but perhaps that's normal close to a windy coastline - as a result the floor was completely coated with acorns. I can imagine the more agile swine depicted would be far more suited to gobbling them up in such a challenging landscape; I'm pretty sure a modern pig would have little chance of safely navigating the slopes.
- markdown 4y agoA pig gone feral will adapt very very quickly. The'll get fitter, their hide and hair thicker. Within a year a pink factory pig will be quickly transformed. They're very intelligent and would have no trouble handling that terrain.
- tomxor 4y agoOh interesting, I had assumed some level of gradual genetic changes in domestication were responsible. So you are suggesting it's mostly phenotypical changes that could even be somewhat reversed in an individual... I wonder how far a new born would revert to what is being depicted in the illustrations.
- markdown 4y agoI can only speak from personal experience (what I've seen), but I googled and found this: > "Any pig that gets out can revert back in a matter of months to a state where it can exist in the wild," said Brown. "It will get hairy, grow tusks and get aggressive. They're so good at adapting, and with their scavenging nature, they can get by pretty much anywhere." https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2007/11/domestic_pigs_quickly_revert_t.html https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2007/11/domestic...
- 8n4vidtmkvmk 4y agoeven grow tusks? that's crazy
- yencabulator 4y agoDomestic pigs grow tusks. People file them down or rip them out because, well, humans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig#Care https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig#Care
- ijidak 4y agoWow. Do you have a reference for this? That is interesting!
- sdwr 4y agoMargaret Atwood's book Oryx and Crake references this. I don't remember the exact plot, but somewhere in there civilization collapses and pigs go feral within years.
- markdown 4y agoJust personal experience. I googled and found this: > "Any pig that gets out can revert back in a matter of months to a state where it can exist in the wild," said Brown. "It will get hairy, grow tusks and get aggressive. They're so good at adapting, and with their scavenging nature, they can get by pretty much anywhere." https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2007/11/domestic_pigs_quickly_revert_t.html https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2007/11/domestic...
- bigbacaloa 4y agoIn Spain now the best pigs (for eating) are fed foraging on acorns.
- Rediscover 4y agoIberico ham is quite fascinating (and tasty). Interesting mandates. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam%C3%B3n_ib%C3%A9rico https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam%C3%B3n_ib%C3%A9rico
- pezezin 4y agoYes, I'm from Extremadura (west of Spain), and we have a lot of pigs roaming on the fields. Cows and sheep too, just drive down any road and you will see them.