Sus Temporal range:
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Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Suidae |
Subfamily: | Suinae |
Genus: | Sus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Type species | |
Sus scrofa[1] Linnaeus, 1758
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Species | |
See text |
Sus (/ˈsuːs/) is the genus of wild and domestic pigs, within the even-toed ungulate family Suidae. Sus include domestic pigs (Sus domesticus) and their ancestor, the common Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), along with other species. Sus species, like all suids, are native to the Eurasian and African continents, ranging from Europe to the Pacific islands. Suids other than the pig are the babirusa of Indonesia, the pygmy hog of South Asia, the warthogs of Africa, and other pig genera from Africa. The suids are a sister clade to peccaries.
Juvenile pigs are known as piglets.[2] Pigs live in complex social groups and are considered one of the more intelligent mammals, as reflected in their ability to learn.[3]
With around 1 billion of this species alive at any time, the domestic pig is among the most populous large mammals in the world.[4][5] Pigs are omnivores and can consume a wide range of food.[6] Pigs are biologically similar to humans and are thus frequently used for human medical research.[7]