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Did you know that pigs can play video games,[br]smell things 5-7 miles away, recognize human faces,

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and solve multiple-choice questions?

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Pigs often get mischaracterized as smelly,[br]filthy, and gluttonous.

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(Unless they're in a tutu on Instagram.)

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Or this...

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We use terms like "chauvinist pig," [br]call a messy room a "pigsty,"

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and say "I'm sweating like a pig" when pigs can't even sweat!

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Get ready to puncture your porcine preconceptions[br]with ten surprising facts about pigs.

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Hi, it's Emily from BiteSizeVegan.org, where[br]you can find free resources, eCourses,

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kids' content, and a Guided Search to help you find[br]just what you need, even if you don't know what to ask!

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And where you'll find all the sources for[br]this video and even more about pigs!

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Let’s start our pig fact foray with something serious:[br]Pigs sliding down a mountain just for fun

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As researchers at WellBeing International[br]put it, pigs take their play seriously.

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Pigs play in many of the same ways dogs do.

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They wrestle, play fight, jump, and chase.

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They do that bananas-excited zooming around that[br]anyone with a dog is more than accustomed to.

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They play with toys, with water, with each other.

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They're even inventive with play, like figuring[br]out how to mudslide down a mountain

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just for the sheer joy of it!

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But it's not just fun and games—play is[br]essential to the development of all animals,

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humans included.

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Pigs raised with the opportunity to play are[br]more cognitively and socially developed than

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those confined for animal agriculture.

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Now pigs aren’t just impressive with their[br]play—they’re also crazy smart!

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Pigs are often ranked as one of the most intelligent[br]species, possessing cognitive abilities shared

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with dolphins, chimpanzees, elephants, and even humans.

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While pigs have long demonstrated their complex[br]cognition, every time a new study emerges,

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we seem surprised all over again by their intelligence.

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All the way from a study in 1915 showing pigs[br]could solve multiple-choice problems, to the

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headline-grabbing discovery that they can[br]play video games, pigs continue to astound us.

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In addition to learning video game play as[br]quickly as chimpanzees, pigs can use mirrors

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to find hidden objects, understand the passage[br]of time, anticipate future events.

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Remarkably, they are able to assume what other[br]pigs can or can't see, and what knowledge

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other pigs possess—an indication of a high[br]level cognitive capacity called "visual perspective taking."

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For example, pigs understand when another[br]pig is "in the know" about a secret food site

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and will follow them to get a treat.

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In turn, the pigs "in the know" will practice[br]"tactical deception" by avoiding the hidden

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food while other pigs are around.

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Their ability to use mirrors is a sign of sophisticated cognitive [br]processing and an indication of self-awareness

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once thought to be limited to humans, other primates, elephants,

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dolphins, magpies, and African Grey parrots.

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Pigs have even been observed using tools,[br]an ability which scientists believe may have

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been passed down from a mother to her offspring[br]and mate, who were also seen using tools.

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Pigs can recognize human faces, know when[br]humans are ignoring them, and understand non-verbal

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cues and symbolic language.

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Which brings us to fact #3: pigs have their own language.

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Pigs have their own vocal language of oinks,[br]squeals, screams, and grunts.

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Research has found that "[t]he sounds they[br]make convey a wide range of information such

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as [their] emotional, motivational and physiological state[s]."

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There are around 20 distinct sounds in pigs' vocal communication [br]that we humans have recognized thus far.

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They make short grunts when excited, squeal[br]when afraid, and scream when they're hurt.

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Male pigs sing courting songs to females, and mother pigs[br]can recognize their piglets by sound alone.

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The sounds pigs make vary with their personalities—which[br]brings us to fact #4: pigs have personalities!

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Anyone who's known a pig won't actually be[br]surprised to hear they have personalities.

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Pigs have individual likes and dislikes, just like we do.

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Some pigs are more outgoing, while others are more shy.

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Some pigs are eager to explore their surroundings,[br]while others prefer to hang around familiar places

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While it doesn't take a rocket scientist to[br]see personality in pigs, studies have shown

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they have distinct personalities.

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When interviewed for one study, even farmers[br]raising pigs for slaughter described the pigs'

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various personality traits.

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But to really see porcine personality in all[br]its glory, visit a farmed animal sanctuary

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where pigs are free to live their best lives!

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Pigs outside of animal agriculture also get[br]to socialize like the master minglers they are,

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which brings us to fact #5: pigs are[br]super social and make friends with other animals.

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Pigs are very social animals and form tight bonds.

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Like dogs, pigs run up to greet friends of[br]any species with wagging tails and happy noises.

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The complexity of their social structure and[br]awareness of other individuals is similar

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to other highly intelligent animals.

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Pigs can differentiate between members of[br]their own species as early as six weeks old

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and—as we've already learned—can also[br]tell the difference between humans.

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Pigs prefer familiar friends over strangers,[br]and extend their social circles to other species.

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But don't get on a pig's bad side because[br]they will remember...which brings us to fact

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#6: Pigs have great memories!

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Even newborn piglets have good short and long-term memories

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—with some scientists going as far as saying astonishingly good.

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Pigs also exhibit what's called episodic memory,[br]a type of long-term memory specific to one's

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personal experiences throughout one's life.

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Our episodic memory is what gives us a sense of self through time.

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It's our autobiographical memory—our personal history, [br]rather than facts and figures we've memorized.

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Studies have shown pigs understand the passage[br]of time, remember specific events, and can

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anticipate future events—all of which indicate[br]they may possess "a sense of self through time"

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and are capable of "planning for the future."

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Which brings us to a fact that everyone should[br]remember (okay, not my best transition):

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Despite all the stereotypes, pigs are very clean!

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Perhaps the most persistent misconception about pigs is that they're dirty.

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This impression is mainly due to their practice[br]of wallowing in mud to cool down.

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As I mentioned, pigs can't sweat.

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So they have to use mud or water to regulate[br]their body temperature.

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In reality, pigs are one the cleanest animals.

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When given the choice, pigs never "go to the[br]bathroom" where they live.

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Even piglets as young as six days old make[br]sure to "go potty" away from their bedding.

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It's only when confined in small spaces that pigs have no [br]choice but to eliminate where they live.

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Now that we've cleared the air of the "dirty pig" myth, [br]it's time for perhaps the most

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endearing facts about pigs: mother pigs sing[br]to their babies while nursing.

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. Scientists believe mother pigs sing these[br]songs to guide their piglets' nursing so that

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it synchronizes with their milk production.

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That way, they get the most out of every meal.

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Mother pigs can determine which of their piglets[br]is in the most need based solely on the calls

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they make, and will respond to their cries[br]differently and more intensely than the cries

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from piglets who are actually doing fine.

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Pigs are devoted mothers, and fiercely protective of their babies.

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This powerful bond is destroyed in the animal[br]products industries, where piglets are taken

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from their mothers within days or weeks of their birth.

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But momma pigs aren't alone in their capacity[br]for love, which brings us to our penultimate

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pig fact: pigs are empathetic.

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Pigs exhibit what's called "emotional contagion,"[br]which sounds like a disease, but actually

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means they pick up on the emotional state[br]of those around them.

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We already learned that pigs are capable of[br]assuming what other pigs know, and what they

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can or can't see (perspective taking).

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Research shows they also share and match [br]emotional experiences with one another.

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We've all experienced someone else making[br]us feel uneasy with their nervousness,

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or lifted up with their joy.

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Just like us, pigs pick up on each other's[br]fear, excitement, nervousness, or delight.

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Given all these incredible facts, why are[br]we so wrong about pigs?

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The answer to that is our final fact.

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Our perception of pigs largely stems from[br]our treatment of them as "food animals,"

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and their resulting behavior and characteristics when confined [br]and stressed within the animal products industries.

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Within these industries, pigs are deprived[br]of the space, socialization, mental stimulation,

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clean environment, and emotional stability they need to thrive.

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As we learned, pigs perform admirably on intelligence[br]tests, are super social, and have strong memories.

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However, their social and cognitive abilities[br]are impacted by their environment, just like

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humans and other animals.

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Pigs raised in the animal agriculture industries[br]suffer cognitive and long-term memory impairment,

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display behavioral abnormalities, and are[br]even driven mad by the conditions.

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We know pigs are every bit as sensitive, sentient,[br]and emotive as dogs—and highly intelligent.

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Yet for most people, it's horrifying to imagine a beloved dog [br]in the same conditions we subject pigs to.

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These incredible beings deserve more from us.

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And the good news is, we can choose to no longer exploit them.

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For guidance on taking pigs off of your plate, go to [br]BiteSizeVegan.org/GoVeganGuide

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I hope you enjoyed learning these surprising facts about pigs!

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To stay in the loop about new Bite Size Vegan[br]content and updates, please subscribe,

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and sign up for the newsletter or follow the Telegram[br]channel for the most reliable notifications.

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Now go live vegan, and I'll see you soon.