Swine language: scientists decode pig emotions from their sounds

‘In positive situations, the calls are far shorter, with minor fluctuations in amplitude.’ Photograph: Daniel Acker/Reuters

A new study seeks to answer a key question: what does it mean when a pig oinks, squeals or grunts?

In the study published earlier this month, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich and the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment recorded 7,414 sounds from 411 pigs in different scenarios.