Spotted (American pig breed)
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| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Use | meat |
| Traits | |
| Hair | black with white spots or white with black spots |
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The Spotted is an American breed of domestic pig. It was bred in Indiana in the early twentieth century, and a breed society was formed in 1914. It shares much of its history with the Poland China of Ohio, and until 1960 was known as the Spotted Poland China.[5]
There were almost 20000 of the pigs in 2024. The breed is not considered endangered, and is not included in the Heritage Breeds Watchlist of the Livestock Conservancy.[3]
History
There were about 64000 new registrations in the herd-book in 1990; at about the same time it was the fourth-most numerous pig in commercial agriculture, after the three dominant breeds, the Duroc, the Hampshire and the American Yorkshire.[6]: 185
The total population in the United States was reported in 2024 at just under 20000 head.[2] The largest population world-wide is in Argentina, where there are almost 40000 of the pigs; the breed is also present in Canada, in Japan and in Uruguay.[7]
Characteristics
The Spotted is black and white, ideally in roughly equal proportions; it may be either black with well-defined spots or patches of white, or white spotted or patched with black.[8]: 675 [9]: 393 In morphology it is closely similar to the Poland China: it is a large pig with drooping ears and a slightly dished facial profile.[8]: 675 [9]: 393 Body weights are approximately 350 kg for sows and over 400 kg for boars.[9]: 393
Use
References
- ↑ Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- 1 2 Breed Data Sheet: Spotted / United States of America (Pig). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2026.
- 1 2 Conservation Priority List. Pittsboro, North Carolina: The Livestock Conservancy. Archived 15 May 2026.
- ↑ Valerie Porter, Ian Lauder Mason (2020). Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties (sixth edition). Wallingford; Boston: CABI. ISBN 9781789241532.
- ↑ Spotted: History. Peoria, Illinois: Certified Pedigreed Swine. Archived 16 May 2019.
- ↑ Janet Vorwald Dohner (2001). The Encyclopedia of Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds. New Haven, Connecticut; London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300088809.
- ↑ Transboundary Breed Summary: Spotted. Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2026.
- 1 2 Valerie Porter, Lawrence Alderson, Stephen J.G. Hall, D. Phillip Sponenberg (2016). Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding (sixth edition). Wallingford: CABI. ISBN 9781780647944.
- 1 2 3 Hilton Marshall Briggs, Dinus M Briggs (1980). Modern Breeds of Livestock, fourth edition. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 9780023147302.