The pig as a model for behavioral research

Behavioral studies of pigs have been carried out mainly for applied purposes, ranging from improvement in animal production to animal welfare issues. Since this research generally has made use of easy to measure behavioral end points, there is a relative lack of quantitative descriptions of behavioral sequences and of studies of mechanisms. For behaviorists, pigs present many interesting characteristics in their sensory-perceptual world and in the expression of some of their activities. Therefore, there is potential for more detailed behavioral studies in this species and some possibilities are presented.