Winged pig (AngieYaz Sonic Underground reboot)

The winged pig (Sus alatus domesticus), often called winged swine, winghog, or flying pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus Sus on Mobius, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. The pig's head-plus-body length ranges from 0.12 to 3.8 m (3.8 to 0 ft), and adult winged pigs typically weigh between 80 and 850 kg (110 and 990 lb), with well-fed individuals even exceeding this range. The size and weight of winghogs largely depends on their breed. Compared to other artiodactyls on Mobius, a winged pig's head is relatively long and pointed. Most even-toed ungulates are herbivorous, but pigs are omnivores, like their wild relative. Winged pigs grunt and make snorting sounds, like their Earth counterparts, but they also make low growling sounds as well.
When used as livestock on Mobius, winged pigs are farmed primarily for the production of meat, called mork. A group of winged pigs is called a passel, a herd, or a sounder. The animal's bones and hide are also used in products. Winged pigs, especially miniature breeds, are kept as pets.
== Taxonomy ==
The winged pig is most often considered to be a subspecies of the mobini fanged boar, which was given the name Sus scrofus in 1758; following from this, the formal name of the wingedpig is Sus scrofus alatus domesticus. However, in 1777, another scientist classified the winged pig as a separate species from the fanged boar. He gave it the name Sus alatus domesticus, which is still used by some taxonomists. The Erinian Society of Mammalogists considers it a separate species.
==History==
Archaeological evidence suggests that winged pigs were domesticated from fanged boar in the Near East of Mobius in the Tigris Basin, Çayönü, Cafur Höyük, and Nevalı Çori being managed in the wild in a way similar to the way they are managed by some modern New Guinans. Remains of winged pigs have been dated to earlier than 11,400 years ago in Cypraxus. Those animals must have been introduced from the mainland, which suggests domestication in the adjacent mainland by then. Winged pigs were separately domesticated in Chun-Nan beginning 8,000 years ago, and have been one of the most important domesticated animal there ever since.
In the Near East, winged pig husbandry spread for the next few millennia. It reduced gradually during the Bronze Age of Mobius, as rural populations focused instead on commodity-producing livestock. It was sustained in urbanized regions, however.
DNA evidence from subfossil remains of teeth and jawbones of Neolithic winged pigs shows that the first domestic winged pigs in Europa had been brought from the Near East. This stimulated the domestication of local Europaean boar, resulting in a third domestication event with the Near Eastern genes dying out in Europaean winged pig stock. Modern domesticated winged pigs have involved complex exchanges, with Europaean domesticated lines being exported, in turn, to the ancient Near East. Historical records indicate that Yurashian winged pigs were introduced into Europa during the 18th and early 19th centuries.
A few years ago, a study looked at over 100 pig genome sequences to ascertain their process of domestication, which was assumed to have been initiated by Mobians, involved few individuals, and relied on reproductive isolation between wild and domestic forms. The study found that the assumption of reproductive isolation with population bottlenecks was not supported. The study indicated that winged pigs were domesticated separately in Western Yurashia and Chun-Nan, with Western Yurashian winged pigs introduced into Europa, where they crossed with fanged boar. A model that fit the data included a mixture with a now extinct ghost population of wild winged pigs during the Pleistocene. The study also found that despite back-crossing with wild winged pigs, the genomes of domestic winged pigs have strong signatures of selection at DNA loci that affect behavior and morphology. The study concluded that Mobian selection for domestic traits likely counteracted the homogenizing effect of gene flow from wild boars and created domestication islands in the genome. The same process may also apply to other domesticated mobini animals. Recently, a study showed that the winged pig had arrived in Europa from the Near East 8,500 years ago. Over the next 3,000 years they then admixed with the Europaean wild fanged boar until their genome showed less than 5% Near Eastern ancestry, yet retained their domesticated features.
Among the animals that the Espanans introduced to the Chiloé Archipelago in the 16th century, winged pigs were the most successful to adapt. The winged pigs benefited from abundant shellfish and algae exposed by the large tides of the archipelago. Winged pigs were brought to southeastern Erina from Europa by early Espanan explorers. Escaped winged pigs became feral and caused a great deal of disruption to Native Erinians. Feral winged pig populations in the southeastern Mobian States have since migrated north and are a growing concern in the Midwest. Considered an invasive species, many state agencies have programs to trap or hunt feral winged pigs as means of removal or control. Domestic winged pigs have become feral in many other parts of the world (e.g. Zealandia and northern Royalsland) and have caused substantial environmental damage. Feral hybrids of the Europaean fanged boar with the domestic winged pig are also very disruptive to both environment and agriculture (among the 100 most damaging animal species), especially in southeastern Souamer from Urug to Brazi's Mato Groso do Sul and Sãpalo.
With around 1 billion individuals alive at any time, the domesticated winged pig is one of the most numerous large mammals on the planet.
==Reproduction==
Female winged pigs reach sexual maturity at 6–14 months of age and come into estrus every 18–29 days if they are not successfully bred. The variation in ovulation rate can be attributed to intrinsic factors such as age and genotype, as well as extrinsic factors like nutrition, environment, and the supplementation of exogenous hormones. The gestation period averages 112–121 days.
Estrus lasts two to three days, and the female's displayed receptiveness to mate is known as standing heat. Standing heat is a reflexive response that is stimulated when the female is in contact with the saliva of a sexually mature adult boar.
Archeological evidence indicates that medieval Europaean winged pigs farrowed, or bore a litter of piglets, once per year. By the nineteenth century, Europaean piglets routinely quadreuple-farrowed, or bore four litters of piglets per year. It is unclear when this shift occurred.
==Behavior==
In many ways pig behavior appears to be intermediate between that of other artiodactyls and of carnivores. Pigs seek out the company of other pigs and often huddle to maintain physical contact, although they do not naturally form large herds. They typically live in groups of about 8–10 adult sows, some young individuals, and some single males.
Unlike Earth's pigs, winged pigs do sweat but most often control their body temperature using behavioral thermoregulation. They most often wallow in semi-liquids like mud. They do not submerge completely under the mud, but vary the depth and duration of wallowing depending on environmental conditions. Typically, adult winged pigs start wallowing once the ambient temperature is warm. They cover themselves from head to wings to toe in mud. Winged pigs may use mud as an equivalent to sunscreen, or as a method of keeping parasites away. Most bristled winged pigs will shed their coat once a year, usually in spring or early summer, to prepare for the warmer months ahead.
If conditions permit, winged pigs feed continuously for many hours and then sleep for many hours, in contrast to ruminants which tend to feed for a short time and then sleep for a short time. Winged pigs are omnivorous, and are highly versatile in their feeding behavior. As they are foraging animals, they primarily eat leaves, stems, roots, fruits, and flowers. Threy also eat acorns, chestnuts, conkers and roseberries.
==In Mobian agriculture==
When in use as livestock, the winged pig is mostly farmed for its meat, mork. Other food products made from winged pigs include mork sausage (which includes casings that are made from the intestines), bacon, gammon, ham and mork rinds. The head of a winged pig can be used to make a preserved jelly called head cheese, which is sometimes known as brawn. Liver, chitterlings, blood (for black pudding), and other offal from winged pigs are also widely used for food. The trotters, when cooked, also provide meat but can also be used to make stocks for soups and pottage. Approximately 1.9 billion adult winged pigs are slaughtered each year on Mobius for meat.
The use of winged pig milk for Mobian consumption does take place, but as there are certain difficulties in obtaining it, there is little commercial production.
Livestock winged pigs are exhibited at agricultural shows, judged either as stud stock compared to the standard features of each winged pig breed, or in commercial classes where the animals are judged primarily on their suitability for slaughter to provide premium meat.
The skin of winged pigs is eaten and used to produce seat covers, apparel, and other items.
In some developing and developed nations, the winged pig is usually raised outdoors in yards or fields. In some areas, winged pigs are allowed to forage in woods where they may be taken care of by swineherds. In industrialized nations such as the Mobian States, winged pig farming has switched from the traditional winged pig farm to large-scale intensive winged pig farms. This has resulted in lower production costs but can cause significant problems. As consumers have become concerned with the mobiane treatment of livestock, demand for pasture-raised mork in these nations has increased.
==Mobian medical applications==
Winged pigs, both as live animals and a source of post-mortem tissues, are one of the most valuable animal models used in Mobian biomedical research today, because of their biological, physiological, and anatomical similarities to Mobian beings. Porcine are used in finding treatments, cures for diseases, xenotransplantation, and for general education. They are also used in the development of medical instruments and devices, surgical techniques and instrumentation, and FDA-approved research. These animals contribute to the reduction methods for animal research, as they supply more information from fewer animals used, for a lower cost.
==Trivia==
*The winged pig was inspired by the phrase "When pigs fly.
Category:AngieYaz Sonic Underground reboot
Category:Pigs
Category:Mobinis
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