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9 Votes
18 Comments
Pig Cognition Studies...Parallels With Humans
News Type: Event — Seeded on Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:47 AM EST
Article Source: The New York Timesadvertisement
In the current issue of Animal Behaviour, researchers present evidence that domestic pigs can quickly learn how mirrors work and will use their understanding of reflected images to scope out their surroundings and find their food. The researchers cannot yet say whether the animals realize that the eyes in the mirror are their own, or whether pigs might rank with apes, dolphins and other species that have passed the famed "mirror self-recognition test" thought to be a marker of self-awareness and advanced intelligence.
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{"commentId":10592200,"authorDomain":"jcatom"}
...the researchers put the mirror in the enclosure, along with a bowl of food that could not be directly seen but whose image was reflected in the mirror. They then compared the responses of the mirror-experienced pigs with a group of mirror-naïve pigs. On spotting the virtual food in the mirror, the experienced pigs turned away and within an average of 23 seconds had found the food. But the naïve pigs took the reflection for reality and sought in vain to find the bowl by rooting around behind the mirror. No doubt the poor frustrated little pigs couldn’t wait to get home, crack open a beer and turn on the TV.
...Pig hearts are like our hearts, he said, pigs metabolize drugs as we do, their teeth resemble our teeth, and their habits can, too. “I look at the pig as a great animal model for human lifestyle diseases,” he said. “Pigs like to lie around, they like to drink if given the chance, they’ll smoke and watch TV...”
“...In parts of New Guinea, they’re so important to villages that they’re suckled by people...”
{"commentId":10592200,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"jcatom"}
- 5 votes
#1 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:50 AM EST{"commentId":10593869,"authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
They’ve found that pigs are among the quickest of animals to learn a new routine, and pigs can do a circus’s worth of tricks: jump hoops, bow and stand, spin and make wordlike sounds on command, roll out rugs, herd sheep, close and open cages, play videogames with joysticks, and more. For better or worse, pigs are also slow to forget.
It makes it sound cannibalistic to eat them. By the way, have you ever tried Morning Star Farms or Garden Burger's "riblets?" These are found in the freezer section of most grocery stores, and the mock meat products are smothered in hickory BBQ sauce so that even if you grew up eating pig flesh, you will not miss it.
{"commentId":10593869,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
- 4 votes
{"commentId":10594242,"authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
Great seed! I had a friend who kept two pigs as pets and they were very neat and clean. Pigs have also gotten a bad rap because of the H1N1 virus. I felt pretty bad when Egypt slaughtered all of its pigs. Motherknowsbest is right about the riblets; they taste great! My family doesn't know unless they find the box in the trash. Pigs are very valuable to humans because they can be pets, food (hard to think about after reading the article) and test subjects for studies on disease and behavior. Pretty cool.
{"commentId":10594242,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
- 3 votes
#2 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:21 AM EST{"commentId":10594793,"authorDomain":"Buzzman1313"}
I knew pigs were smart,didnt anyone else remember Arnold Ziffle from "green Acres"?
{"commentId":10594793,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"Buzzman1313"}
- 3 votes
#3 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:44 AM EST{"commentId":10596927,"authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
Actually, "that'll do pig" did run across my brain and so did "Wilbur". I never watched Green Acres for some reason.
{"commentId":10596927,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":10602064,"authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
Right, Holly. Wilbur was the pig from Charlotte's Web who was saved from being slaughtered.
As far as the mock meats go, Morning Star Farms also makes an OK "fakin" (fake bacon), but if you know of a better one, please share.
A little off topic, but the "Chick 'N" fajita strips are great to substitute in just about anything that requires chicken - if you grill them first. My local vegetarian market makes a lot of their own products, but everyone's tastes are different, so I encourage people to try them first and then decide as some of these products taste amazing. The health of the planet and of each individual's waistlines and arteries necessitate some serious changes and mock meats can help break the addiction to "lard."
{"commentId":10602064,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10605274,"authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
Morning Star's buffalo wings are outstanding, but very spicy.
{"commentId":10605274,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10605969,"authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
Thanks, Holly. We'll try it.
{"commentId":10605969,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10687835,"authorDomain":"jimmyjamm93442"}
Lol I recently heard a comedian talk about mock meats, let me see..
" If you want to eat veggies, soy that's fine, but why do you have to pretend it's meat? I like meat but don't eat hot dogs and call them cowcumbers "
{"commentId":10687835,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"jimmyjamm93442"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10610080,"authorDomain":"darreth"}
I worked at a pig confinement for a couple of years... Anyone the has read my posts on here KNOWS what a DOG freak I am... the baby hampshires (The black/white ones) Look JUST LIKE boston terrier puppies!!!
The intelligence of pigs is REALLY AWESOME! If you are inclined to train them, sometimes they can be SMARTER than a dog!!! *GRIN*
{"commentId":10610080,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"darreth"}
- 4 votes
#4 - Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:55 PM EST{"commentId":10616047,"authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
This is a really off-the-wall question, but if you had a pig as a pet could you train it to use the toilet?
{"commentId":10616047,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10633077,"authorDomain":"darreth"}
I think there have been people that have DONE it... I don't personally KNOW any... but a pig is INTELLIGENT enough... with enough patience...
I've had people train their CATS to use the toilet... and a PIG is TALLER so wouldn't need to climb up onto it!!!
HMMMM...
{"commentId":10633077,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"darreth"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10637598,"authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
Well, my next pet might be a pig so I'll try to teach it to use it! I'll let everyone know if it was a success!
{"commentId":10637598,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"h-kuehn"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10642382,"authorDomain":"Buzzman1313"}
and if it dont work out you could always still have a bar-B-Q !
{"commentId":10642382,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"Buzzman1313"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10658463,"authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
What a sick remark!
{"commentId":10658463,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10671279,"authorDomain":"darreth"}
Mother: My old roommates older had a friend that was giving away a pot-bellied pig... they couldn't find a home for it so he offered to take the pig! He took it and had it SLAUGHTERED! (the bill for the PROCESSING was more than the meat he got out of it was WORTH)
I had several friends that had offered to take the pig themselves... (As a PET)
I said... "Well... that was worth it wasn't it?" he said "Well... I wasn't gonna let it go to WASTE!"
Just ONE of SEVERAL reasons I hate the little Pr!&* to this day!
{"commentId":10671279,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"darreth"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":10680575,"authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
He sounds like a creep, Darretho1. If there is any karmic justice, the pig he ate will have clogged his arteries.
{"commentId":10680575,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"dalejwendt"}
- 2 votes
{"commentId":10686494,"authorDomain":"darreth"}
RE: 4.7: Yeah... Like I said... the COST of processing the meat was MORE than the MEAT he got OUT of it! The only reason the stupid little PRI(% did it was so he could BRAG to his MORON buddies that he had DONE IT! (The porkchops were about 2 inches ACROSS)...
I didn't particularly LIKE him to begin with... after this it turned into INSTANT HATRED!
{"commentId":10686494,"threadId":"720838","contentId":"3484991","authorDomain":"darreth"}
- 2 votes
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