Many people think pigs are slow due to their heavy weights and large bodies, but the truth behind a pig’s misrepresented image can truly surprise anyone and leave a better impression for pigs!
So, how fast is the fastest pig? Wild boars are proven to run as fast as 48.28 km/h or 30 mph. But to be direct, there is no record of the fastest pig YET as most of them run at almost the same speed.
Warthogs can outrun elephants, grizzly bears, black mamba snakes, race runner lizards, wild turkeys, cats, dogs, squirrels and chickens.
Domesticated pigs can only run at about 19.31 km/h or 12 mph at most.
This still proves that despite a pig’s large appearance and heavy weight, they can still be flexible enough to run fast anywhere you put them.
Fleeing is actually one of a pig’s prioritized skills especially in the wild. They can run fast enough to lose predators in order to save themselves.
For some breeds, they may be slower but it all depends on their body build and how much they are used to exercises such as running.
In general, pigs are swift enough to outrun some humans.
However, despite their fast speed, they can tire out really fast that is why they can only maintain their top speed for short distances.
Wild boars are often hunted in the wild by human hunters as a challenging feat and to bring home some trophy meat. They can be as challenging as hunting a deer.
The speed of a pig even gave rise to an expression saying, “slicker than a greased pig”. This is related to a cultural event called “Greasy Pig Contest” where pigs get all greased up to make it harder for contestants to catch them.
Luckily, the event has been cancelled after several petitions by animal rights activists because we really should not be using a pig’s speed only to play around with them. It truly seems unnecessary.
For pet owners, you may sometimes catch your pig zooming around in the house. You can tell that they are pretty fast and they are zooming around out of happiness, hype or excitement!
On top of a pig’s speed, there are still many things pigs are good for. They are surprisingly awesome animals and can be one of the greatest animals you can ever encounter. Keep reading to learn more!
Why pigs need to be fast at running
What is the main use of speed for pigs? Pigs are prey animals and do not bother hunting like predator animals. Predator animals rely on their speed to hunt down prey like pigs, and thus, prey animals uses speed to counter them.
However, despite being good sprinters, pigs can’t just keep running they must be able to find a place to hide because they do not have the stamina to keep them running at a fast pace.
Most predators remember scents and that is why apart from running in panic, pigs should still be able to find a safe place to hide in.
How to catch a fast pig
Does your pet pig like to escape from its pen or break through fences to run for freedom? Or do you keep on losing sight of your target prey? Well, pigs are naturally curious animals so they tend to desire exploring new things and places.
In an event that your pig goes loose, it can be difficult for you to catch them especially at the early start, but it is also important for you not to lose sight of them so keep following.
The best thing you can do is follow them around at your own regular pace until the pig tires out.
Pigs often run in zigzags in order to lose predators and can reach their top tier speed from the beginning so it can truly be a challenging feat for anyone to catch a pig.
Since pigs can tire out easily, letting them use up their energy is the best option.
Are pigs faster than dogs?
Pigs are capable of outrunning dogs. However, dogs can actually be faster than cats and there are specific breeds such as the Greyhound the can be twice faster than the common breeds!
Dogs and pigs actually do not get along as well as cats do and therefore, the fact that dogs can eventually catch a pig after a long chase can be risky for pigs.
No matter how gentle, dogs can still lose their patience with pigs and can suddenly become aggressive or violent. For anyone who owned more than two dogs, they would know how play fights easily turn to real bite fights.
Pigs will have no way of defending themselves from dogs when cornered but when they do, it will be their tusks and it can seriously injure dogs!
This is why the pigs and dogs combination is not a recommended pair because pigs can easily drain a dog’s patience.
Are pigs faster than cats?
Pigs are swift but cats can reach the speed of 48 km/h. Cats often outrun dogs and so they can easily outrun domestic cats.
However, wild boars such as Warthogs have almost the same speed as a domestic cat but that is a completely different scenario.
Cats and pigs often get along way better than dogs as cats can tolerate a pig better than dogs do. Pigs are quieter than dogs which mean they annoy cats less often.
Even when a cat gets annoyed by a pig, its only way of injuring a pig is through their claws. It can still be deadly, but at the very least, a cat cannot maul a defenseless pig the way dogs can.
We understand dogs are not violent animals but when angered they are capable of killing pigs which is why we are only serving a warning before putting two animals together.
To learn more about pigs getting along with cats and dogs, you can read our articles about it here. “Do Pigs Get Along with Cats?” and “Do Pigs Get Along with Dogs?”
Related Questions
- Are Warthogs endangered?
Warthogs are currently considered as a “Least Concern” and have a stable population. However, their numbers are still threatened by the fact that they are continuously being eliminated and hunted down.
Similar to elephants, warthogs are hunted for their ivory tusks and for consumption of meat especially around certain parts of Africa.
Farmers are also known to eliminate the wild pigs due to “habitat destruction” related issues such as destroying crops and carrying possible diseases that can spread out to humans.
As of today, Warthogs may not be endangered but they might become one of the critical breeds soon.
The world has lost many breeds of pigs so far and there is no hope of restoring them at all therefore we must be careful when hunting and consuming animals.
Warthogs are also not really recommended for consumption. Farms raised domesticated pigs for safer consumption after all.
Wild pigs have a high chance of carrying diseases that can easily be transmitted to humans when consumed.
- Are Warthogs dangerous?
According to studies, several hunters claim that wild boars can prove to be more dangerous than bears because of their razor sharp tusks and intellectual thinking.
Wild boars are faster than bears and can cause severe injuries to mortal wounds that can be truly life threatening.
However, despite their intimidating appearance, wild boars usually prefer to stay out of trouble as much as possible.
They are prey animals and would rather flee than fight their enemies but when cornered, they may charge at their attacker as a last resort.
Rarely, wild boars can exhibit unpredictable behavior as some can actually develop territorial personalities that may cause them to become aggressive and initiate fights first instead of waiting to be attacked.
In a sense, they are dangerous when provoked thus it is better to avoid one another to prevent any unnecessary injuries from both ends.
- What is the Javelina pig?
The Javelina “pig” is actually NOT a pig and they belong to a completely separate group of mammals. They do appear completely similar to pigs or feral hogs in appearance, but the Javelina are not pigs.
They are medium sized, omnivorous, hoofed mammals and also have poor eyesight just like some pigs. They also have long snouts like pigs.
However, Javelina are considered Peccaries and can become dangerous when they attack in groups to the point of mortally wounding humans.
Javelina peccaries are found throughout Central and South America and in the southwestern area of North America.
Peccaries usually measure between 90 and 130 cm (3.0 and 4.3 ft) in length, and a full-grown adult usually weighs about 20 to 40 kg (44 to 88 lb).
Some Peccaries are also often kept as pets and farm animals in certain places.
Peccaries are social animals and can be found in herds and can become protective of their young, like any mothering animal.
There are three different types of Peccaries. One is the Collared peccary, second is the White-lipped peccary and lastly is the Chacoan peccary.
As similar as they can get, pigs and peccaries are not considered to be related or from the same family at all.
