Summary
A piglet's most precious possession Is the teat that he fattens his flesh on. He fights for his teat with tenacity Against any sibling's audacity. The piglet, to arm for this mission, Is born with a warlike dentition Of eight tiny tusks, sharp as sabres, Which help in impressing the neighbors; But to render these weapons less harrowing, Most farmers remove them at farrowing. We studied pig sisters and brothers When some had their teeth, but not others. We found that when siblings aren't many, The weapons help little if any, But when there are many per litter, The teeth help their owners grow fitter. But how did selection begin To make weapons to use against kin?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bryant DM, Tatner P (1990) Hatching asynchrony, sibling competition and siblicide in nestling birds: studies of swiftlets and bee-eaters. Anim Behav 39:657–671
Dardaillon M, Teillaud P (1987) Éthogramme du sanglier adulte et du marcassin (Sus scrofa L.). Monitore Zool Ital (N.S.) 21:41–68
Dawkins R, Krebs JR (1979) Arms races between and within species. Proc R Soc Lond [Biol] 205:489–511
De Passillé AMB, Rushen J (1989) Suckling and teat disputes by neonatal piglets. Appl Anim Behav Sci 22:23–38
English PR, Wilkinson V (1982) Management of the sow and litter in late pregnancy and lactation in relation to piglet survival and growth. In: Cole DJA, Foxcroft GR (eds) Control of pig reproduction. Butterworth Scientific, London, pp 479–506
Fraser D (1975) The “teat order” of suckling pigs. II. Fighting during suckling and the effects of clipping the eye teeth. J Agric Sci (Camb) 84:393–399
Fraser D (1990) Behavioural perspectives on piglet survival. J Reprod Fert Suppl 40:355–370
Fraser D, Thompson BK (1986) Variation in piglet weights: relationship to suckling behavior, parity number and farrowing crate design. Can J Anim Sci 66:31–46
Fraser D, Thompson BK, Ferguson DK, Darroch RL (1979) The “teat order” of suckling pigs III. Relation to competition within litters. J Agric Sci (Camb) 92:257–261
Hansel W, McEntee K (1970) Male reproductive processes In: Swenson MJ (ed) Dukes' physiology of domestic animals, 8th edn. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, pp 1298–1338
Hartsock TG, Graves HB (1976) Neonatal behavior and nutrition-related mortality in domestic swine. J Anim Sci 42:235–241
Herring SW (1972) Sutures — a tool in functional cranial analysis. Acta Anat 83:222–247
Jensen P (1986) Observations on the maternal behaviour of free-ranging domestic pigs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 16:131–142
Martin PA, Dziuk PJ (1977) Assessment of relative fertility of males (cockerels and boars) by competitive mating. J Reprod Fert 49:323–329
McBride G (1963) The “teat order” and communication in young pigs. Anim Behav 11:53–56
Mock DW (1984) Infanticide, siblicide, and avian nestling mortality. In: Hausfater G, Blaffer Hrdy S (eds) Infanticide: comparative and evolutionary perspectives. Aldine, New York, pp 330
Newberry RC, Wood-Gush DGM (1985) The suckling behaviour of domestic pigs in a semi-natural environment. Behav 95:11–25
O'Gara BW (1969) Unique aspects of reproduction in the female pronghorn (Antilocapra americana Ord). Am J Anat 125:217–232
Parker GA (1984) Sperm competition and the evolution of animal mating strategies. In: Smith RL (ed) Sperm competition and the evolution of animal mating systems. Academic, New York, pp 1–60
Rushen J, Fraser D (1989) Nutritive and nonnutritive sucking and the temporal organization of the suckling behavior of domestic piglets. Dev Psychobiol 22:789–801
Salmon-Legagneur E (1965) Quelques aspects des relations nutritionnelles entre la gestation et la lactation chez la truie. Ann Zootech 14, Numero hors-série 1:1–137
Sowls LK (1974) Social behavior of the collared peccary, Dicotyles tajacu L. In: Geist V, Walther F (eds) The behaviour of ungulates and its relation to management. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Morges, pp 144–165
Sowls LK, Phelps RJ (1968) Observations on the African bushpig Potamochoerus porcus Linn. in Rhodesia. Zoologica 53:75–84
Sumption LJ, Rempel WE, Winters LM (1959) Multiple sire mating in swine. I. General considerations. J Hered 50:293–298
Van der Lende T (1989) Impact of early pregnancy on prenatal development in the pig. Doctoral thesis, Agricultural University of Wageningen, The Netherlands
Wilkinson FC, Blackshaw JK (1987) Do day old piglets need to have their teeth clipped? In: Barnett JL et al. (eds) Manipulating pig production. Australian Pig Science Association, Werribee, p 25
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Offprint requests to: D. Fraser
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fraser, D., Thompson, B.K. Armed sibling rivalry among suckling piglets. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 29, 9–15 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164289
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00164289