Fig. 1.8. A Kunekune pig crossed with a Vietnamese pig in New Zealand.
Fig. 1.9. A Kunekune pig crossed with a commercial hybrid pig.
Meishan
This is a medium-sized pig with little hair and large folds of skin not only on its body but also on its head. It has lop ears and is pinky black in colour. It originated in China.
Middle White
Although in theory this breed of pig is smaller than a Large White pig, it is still categorized as a large pig. It is all white with prick ears. It has a very short snout. The breed was developed in Yorkshire in the UK. Middle White pigs are often crossed with Kunekune pigs to make pet pigs (Fig. 1.10).
Mukota
This small fat pig was developed in Zimbabwe to be resistant to the heat and tropical diseases. It is black with a short snout and lop ears.
Mulefoot
This is a very strange breed of pig which was developed in the USA from original stock from the Deep South. It is now a rare breed. It does not have a cloven hoof; hence its name, as its foot looks like that of a mule. The lack of a cloven hoof is in fact an inherited defect. The ethics of breeding these pigs must be questionable. It is normally all black but some have white spots.
Fig. 1.10. A Middle White pig crossed with a Kunekune pig in New Zealand.
Myrhorod
This is a medium-sized white pig with lop ears which was developed in the Ukraine.
North Caucasian
This is a hybrid pig bred from native pigs and imported Landrace blood in southern Russia and in Uzbekistan. It is normally a large white pig with lop ears.
North Siberian
This is a small curly-coated pig from northern Siberia. It has prick ears and is normally brown in colour. It manages to cope with the extremely harsh climate.
Ossabaw Island
This small pig is derived from feral pigs bred on Ossabaw Island which lies in the Atlantic Ocean off Georgia in the USA. It has prick ears and is normally black or spotted.
Oxford Sandy and Black
These are an old breed of medium-sized pigs which are almost considered a rare bred in the UK. They are a sandy colour with large black spots. They have lop ears.
Pietrain
These middle-sized pigs originated in Belgium and form a part of modern European hybrid commercial pigs. They are white in colour with large grey spots. They have prick ears. They are renowned for their large muscle to bone and fat ratio.
Red Wattle
This is a very large pig from the USA. It is red in colour and has lop ears.
Saddleback
There are now many separate breeds of Saddleback, e.g. the Angeln from Germany, the British Saddleback, the Essex and the Wessex. They are a large pig, mainly black with a white band around their girth. They have lop ears.
Semirechye
This middle-sized pig breed originated in Kazakhstan. It is usually used as a crossing sire for breeding hybrid gilts. It is black in colour with prick ears.
Siberian Black Pied
This small hairy pig comes from Siberia. It is black and white with prick ears.
Small Black
This small black pig from the UK with lop ears is now a rare breed. Traditionally it was a smallholder or backyard pig.
Small White
This small white pig from the UK has prick ears and is rare. It is still used to breed hybrids for commercial pig production. It has been selectively bred from so that its offspring are very small. These are then marketed as ‘mini pigs’. They are also called ‘designer pigs’. Purchasers should be aware that often they can grow into quite large pigs.
Swabian-Hall
This medium-sized pig from Germany is white with large black patches. It has lop ears and a long back. It is ideal as a bacon-producing pig.
Taihu Pig
This small black pig from China has prick ears and a long snout.
Tamworth
This large red pig from the UK is once again gaining in popularity as a smallholder pig supplying a niche pork market. It is a docile pig with prick ears. It is not a rare breed (Fig. 1.11).
Tsivilsk
This small all white pig with prick ears originated in Russia.
Turopolje
This medium-sized white black-spotted pig originated in Croatia and is considered by many to be one of the oldest pig breeds in Europe. Its origin is traced back to the prehistorical period when pigs, having been domesticated further to the east, were first introduced into Europe. It has lop ears.
Ukrainian Spotted Steppe
This small white black-spotted pig is an ancient breed which originated in the Ukraine. It has prick ears.
Vietnamese Pot Bellied
This relatively small pig, which tends to be obese as the name suggests, originated in Vietnam (Fig. 1.12). It also lives up to its name as it has a large pot belly. It can be black or mainly black with some white markings. It has a short snout and prick ears. It is the most popular pet pig in the UK.
Welsh