How to Identify Swine Body Parts
"Swine" is a general term for members of the pig family. The various breeds of swine all share the same basic body structure. Learning the outer anatomy of a pig requires some practice and memory skills. Domestic pigs are intelligent and social animals; observing swine up close at a local farm can help you familiarize yourself with the animals' physical characteristics.
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Instructions
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Imagine you're examining a pig. Start at the head and notice the pig's elongated nose, called a snout. Reach under the snout and mouth to where the cheeks and jaw would be on a person; this area is called the jowl. Move backward from the jowl past the neck to the shoulder which leads down to the forearm of the front leg. A pig's leg bends at the knee, which connects the forearm and lower leg, called the cannon. The area right before the foot meets the hoof is the pastern; in back is an extra toe, called a dewclaw. Move up the back of the leg to where it connects to the body at the elbow.
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Look at the swine from the side. Start from the elbow and work backward; this first area of the side is the forerib. Looking down on the pig, you'll next see the back, loin and rump, respectively. Looking at the lower portion of the pig's trunk, you'll find its belly in the middle, separated by the fore flank in front and rear flank in back. A female pig's nipples, found toward the rear of the belly, are called teats. In the corresponding area on a castrated male pig is the sheath.
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Go to the rear of the pig. Run your hand from the top, called the rump, down to the backside and upper thigh, which is the pig's ham. The ham area includes the stifle joint, which joins with the leg bone. Look at the outward bend in the pig's rear leg; this is the hock. Under the swine's signature curly tail is the anus and, in a female, the vulva.
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References
- Photo Credit pigs image by Zbigniew Nowak from Fotolia.com
