Such a smart little piece of bacon... Ok, that was SO MEAN! (Image found on Google)
I knew Babe and his pals could learn a trick or two, but to know that researchers compare pigs' intellect to be on the same level as dolphins and higher apes... Well, I didn't see that one coming.
Part of this intellect, they say, might be because large chunks of pig genome are virtually identical to humans, though our last common ancestor died out 100 million years ago. Pigs love to become couch potatoes and would rather eat, drink, smoke, and watch TV than be active. Man, I totally know many pig-people.
In a study, when introduced to a mirror, the animals were initially fascinated by the pig in the reflection and tried to interact by nudging and vocalizing. While they could see food in the mirror, they tried looking behind the mirror only to end up hungry. Poor things. The next time the mirror was presented, they were not interested in their own image, but instead used the reflection to find the bowl of food behind them in under 30 seconds. Ha!
Pigs can also be trained to learn tricks fairly easily, as I said before. However, if at first they don’t succeed, getting the courage to try again is a long process, especially if the pig got hurt in the attempt. Researchers speculate that the memory of the failure is a big hurdle to overcome for many pigs. Humans too, they might add. Failures in training and living conditions can affect a pig's mood, as the animals are capable of having and expressing complex emotions. Who knew, right?!
Part of this intellect, they say, might be because large chunks of pig genome are virtually identical to humans, though our last common ancestor died out 100 million years ago. Pigs love to become couch potatoes and would rather eat, drink, smoke, and watch TV than be active. Man, I totally know many pig-people.
In a study, when introduced to a mirror, the animals were initially fascinated by the pig in the reflection and tried to interact by nudging and vocalizing. While they could see food in the mirror, they tried looking behind the mirror only to end up hungry. Poor things. The next time the mirror was presented, they were not interested in their own image, but instead used the reflection to find the bowl of food behind them in under 30 seconds. Ha!
Pigs can also be trained to learn tricks fairly easily, as I said before. However, if at first they don’t succeed, getting the courage to try again is a long process, especially if the pig got hurt in the attempt. Researchers speculate that the memory of the failure is a big hurdle to overcome for many pigs. Humans too, they might add. Failures in training and living conditions can affect a pig's mood, as the animals are capable of having and expressing complex emotions. Who knew, right?!
~Ally
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