Why do pigs have curly tails?

Question

...just wondering.

10 points best answer.

Answer 1

Because they can't reach around and iron them....

Answer 2

Law of nature.....!!!

You cant have a cheetah running around with a curly tail right..??? Wont be able to balance it body during it hunt...???

Imagine the elephant, monkey, horses, donkey , monkey..having curly tails...???

Ultimately pigs are lazy creature, fat , sleeps the whole day theres no use for the tail to be otherwise  there's no commercial value...!!!!

Would love to see a pig with a horse tail...ha ha!!! s**y???

Answer 3

Pig Perm!!! haha, but really:

It is actually unknown as to why a pig's tail is naturally curly. However, it is most likely a genetic trait, that has been passed down since the formation of the breed. This is similar to traits in other animals, like an Akita dog with a tail that curves all the way back, or a manx cat that has no tail at all.

GOOD LUCK! ^o..o^ <--trying to make it look like a pig but it probably sucks. >=]

Answer 4

My theory is it was a random genetic trait that somehow coincided with the traits breeders looked for in pigs they chose to bred. And so the trait got passed on.

Or they prefer the aesthetic appeal of a curly tail. They are very particular creatures; they like to have everything in order and look nice. They also like to be coated in mud, which most humans does not look very well put together.

The pigs don't care. But they seriously are very orderly animals and like things to be just so. So maybe having curly tails was appealing to them.

Answer 5

According to these articles, it is a quality that was bred:

"Chinese archaeologists have claimed that pigs have been domesticated there for 7,000 years. This is from carbon-14 evidence dating pig bones at sites spread widely over the country. It is not only by their bones that prehistoric domesticants can be recognized but also artistic representations give clues. It was only after domestication that pigs gained curly tails or lop ears. In 3486 B.C., emperor Fo-Hi of China decreed that swine should be bred and raised."

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:BooE...

"The last physical part that’s different from a tame pig is the tail. A wild hog’s tail is usually straight and tufted at the tip. A domestic pig or a wild hog with Chinese genes has a curly tail."

http://www.blackmouthcur.com/HA02.htm

"Only domestic pigs have the familiar curly tail; wild pigs have straight tails."

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t...

Answer 6

We can't find out why pigs have curly tails yet. Some pig farmers cut off a bit of the piglets' tails soon after they are born. This is because piglets often chew each other's tails! But those curve tails look so cute on those pigs inspite that they are ditry =]

Answer 7

it's unknown now. but people are still researching it.

Answer 8

They need to set them every night to keep them curly.