The Evolution of Pigs: How Wild Boars Became Our Farmyard Companions

What is it about?

Humans and pigs have shared a long and complex relationship—one that stretches back thousands of years, shaped by both human influence and the pigs’ evolutionary adaptability. While today’s farm pigs look and live very differently from their ancient ancestors, new research by Dr. Jolijn Erven, a paleogeneticist at the University of Groningen, reveals surprising insights into the early days of pig domestication. By analysing 7,000-year-old wild boar and pig bones, Dr. Erven and her colleagues found that prehistoric pigs in the Netherlands closely resembled wild boars, and their relationship with humans was flexible. During the Neolithic period (around 7,000 years ago), pig management varied widely—from controlled breeding in small-scale controlled management to free-ranging animals that coexisted with humans more naturally, maintaining a closer connection to their wild roots. Wild boars and pigs are naturally intelligent and curious creatures, and this played a major role in their domestication. Rather than being forcefully tamed by humans, wild boars were drawn to early human settlements in search of food scraps, including leftover meat and discarded waste —coexisting with humans while still retaining aspects of their wild behaviour. Over time, this led to a unique commensal relationship—where pigs benefited from human settlements. This study, which combined paleogenomics and archaeology, shows that pig domestication was not a simple, linear process. Instead, it varied across different regions and periods. Evidence from the Neolithic settlement of Swifterbant (~6000 years ago) in the Netherlands suggests that wild boars and some domestic pigs roamed freely around human communities, feeding on discarded food—very different from the more controlled pig farming practices seen in earlier Neolithic cultures like the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) in Central Europe. Despite their wild appearance, these pigs were still influenced by selection, with genetic changes linked to coat colour, behaviour, and immunity emerging over time.

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Why is it important?

Studying the changing relationship between humans and pigs and the evolution of pigs isn’t just about the past—it has important implications for the future. 1. Rethinking Modern Pig Farming—As concerns about the sustainability of industrial pig farming grow, historical pig-rearing practices could inspire more humane and eco-friendly farming methods. The increasing popularity of free-range pigs today may resemble farming methods from thousands and likely hundreds of years ago. 2. Managing Feral Pigs and Urban Wild Boars – Understanding how pigs transitioned between wild and domestic states over time could help us address modern challenges, such as rising populations of feral pigs and urban wild boars causing issues in many parts of the world. 3. Preserving Pig Diversity – The loss of traditional pig breeds threatens genetic diversity, which is crucial for disease resistance and adaptation to changing environments. Learning from the past could help protect pig populations in the future.

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