Appliance of science: Do pigs dream?

Do pigs dream? This may seem like a very odd question, but if you shared a home with a pig obsessed six-year-old you might not be too surprised to be asked this over breakfast.

Pigs need about the same amount of sleep as we do. An adult pig will spend a little less than eight hours sleeping. Do they dream while catching some zees? Research suggests they do. Pigs go through a phase of sleep called the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage. In humans this is a deep sleep where most of our dreaming takes place. Scientists believe that pigs dream during the REM phase too, along with lots of other animals. Pigs spend about 10% of their sleep time in this REM state, compared to the 25% we spend in it. And while we are on the subject of REM, did you know that the duck-billed platypus spends a whopping 60% of its sleep time in REM? That is a lot of dreaming!

What else goes on in the brain of a pig? Pigs are thought of as dirty, sweaty, silly animal. None of that is actually true. Pigs are very clever, more clever than your average dog or three-year-old human. The brain of the pig is well able for complex tasks, like completing mazes and recognising symbols. Research shows that they have very good memory. There are even pigs that can complete jigsaw puzzles and play video games, moving the joystick with their snouts.