KuneKune Pig

Facts about KuneKune Pigs, Kunekune is a small domestic pig breed that is native to New Zealand. The "KuneKune Pig" breeds are hairy, with a round build and have wattles, suspending from their lower jaw. Their color of the body of the KuneKune Pigs varies from black and white, to cream, ginger, gold-tip, brown, black, and tri-colored. Kunekune pig breeds have a passive, friendly character, and currently, the KuneKune Pigs are kept as pets similar to other pig breeds.

The Kunekune pig breed is supposed to have descended from a domestic breed of Asia and it was brought to New Zealand during the initial part of the nineteenth century by traders or whalers. The KuneKune Pig breeds vary noticeably from the feral pig breed of European origin, recognized with the name, the Captain Cooker in New Zealand. The indigenous Maori group of New Zealand implemented the name Kunekune, which means "fat and round" in their Maori language.

By the period 1980s, only a projected 50 purebred Kunekune pig breeds were remained. The two wildlife-park owners, John Simister and Michael Willis, started a Kunekune pig breeding revival program, which in turn persuaded other revival efforts. The Kunekune pig breed no longer experiences extinction as of 2010, with pig breed societies in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The Kunekune pig breed is capable of growing to a maximum height of 24 inches (60 cm). The KuneKune Pig breed is covered in hair that can be short or long, and curly or straight. The color of the hair of the KuneKune Pig breeds includes brown, black, ginger, cream, gold, and dotted combinations. The Kunekune pig has an average to small nose, which is black in color and either they have pricked ears or semi-lopped ears. The pig possesses a small, circular body with two small legs and tassels beneath its chin.

Usually, the Kunekune pig breeds are appropriate for a novice pig owner because these pigs are easygoing, welcoming and feel affection for human company. These pig breeds are clever and trouble-free to train. Mostly, the Kunekune pig breeds prefer to live in natural homes, situated in pasture and woodland. They feel affection for being outdoors and the KuneKune Pigs use to adapt to a variety of weather types, in addition to being perfect for huge gardens. While the KuneKune Pig breeds are in captivity, they will be housed in an arc, a small house for pigs, with a minimum size of 6.6 feet (2 meters) in size, according to the quantity of pigs.

The Kunekune pig breeds are extremely trouble-free to manage because they have the skill to fatten on little in excess of the grass. A peculiar character that can be found in these Kunekune pig breeds is that they have no tendency to wander.

Both male and female Kunekune pig breeds will attain their maturity following six to seven months after their birth, so the female Kunekune pigs can turn out to be pregnant at 5 months. However, these female pigs are not usually put to the male Kunekune pig, pending they are one year old. The female Kunekune pigs have excellent motherly skills and the litters differ in size, with an average size of seven piglets.

The saliva of KuneKune Pigs contains pheromones-( A chemical substance used to attract a mate) similar to that of other pig breeds that communicate their sexual wants. The male KuneKune Pigs discharge this steroid and female pigs will go to vast lengths to acquire a smell of the sent.


KuneKune Pigs are very intelligent, not like people think, that pigs are dumb animals. A Pig can drink between 10 to 14 gallons (37.8 to 53 liters)of water in a day. KuneKune Pigs are omnivores like humans, an omnivores, (definition-they eat both other animals and plants). The KuneKune Pig is its most important tool for finding food. The KuneKune Pigs snout is used for their excellent sense of smell and have poor eyesight.

KuneKune Pigs are raised for there meat such as ham, sausage, bacon and pork chops. Pigs can make great pets. "A wild male pig is called a boar"- meaning uncastrated male pig, that lives in the wild and can be hunted. "Feral pig or hog is defined as a wild boar" can be a very big danger where humans habitat.

KuneKune Pigs can carry a variety of diseases and can pass them to humans. KuneKune Pigs have small lungs compared to their body size.

The term Swine: is any variety of omnivorous, even-toed ungulates of the family Suidae, this includes hogs, boars and pigs having a short neck, thick skin a movable snout and a stout body.

KuneKune Pigs unlike is said, happen to be very clean animals. KuneKune Pigs make sure their bathroom area is far away from where they eat, lie down and rest, even piglets (baby pigs) will find a place to go to the bathroom, far away from their nest. A KuneKune Pig averages 6 to 10 baby piglets in a litter and will have two to three litters per year. The sows nurse their piglets for about three to five weeks. When Piglets are weaned off of their mother’s milk, they are not called piglets but are known as shoats. Piglets at birth weigh about 2.5 pounds (1.1 kilograms), and on average, will double their weight in one week.

KuneKune Pigs have 44 teeth when full grown, when they are baby pigs (piglets) the have 28 teeth which will fall out when they are 12 months old. Just like human teeth, the pig has an enamel coating that makes the pigs teeth stronger and helps it curb disease. KuneKune Pigs chew their food because pigs have a digestive system similar to a human digestive system and cannot digest food that is not chewed.

A female adult KuneKune Pig is called a (sow) and the male adult pig is called a (boar). The lifespan of a KuneKune Pig is between 9 and 15 years

KuneKune Pigs do not sweat a lot, that's why they cover themselves in the mud to keep their bodies cool. The expression "sweating like a pig" comes from a reference to pig iron, which comes form iron smelting. The four feet and four toes of the pig are called "trotters" that humans eat as a delicacy called pigs feet or pigs knuckles. A KuneKune Pigs foot has four toes that are pointed downwards when the pig walks, it walks on the tips of its toes, rather than its whole foot and only uses two of the toes in the middle and the outside toes for balance. The KuneKune Pig has tougher feet at the ends that are hooves. The two toes in the middle of the foot are slightly webbed, this helps the pigs balance for walking.

"Scientific name for Pig Sus scrofa", the wild swine (Boar) from the old world with a narrow body and prominent tusks is from where most domestic swine come from. The "fear of pigs Swinophobia".