Thanks to Dr. James Beasley and researchers from the University of Georgia for these photographs of wild pigs’ nesting sites.
Did you know that pigs are the only ungulates (mammals with hooves) that regularly build nests?
The researchers studied female pigs at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina to better understand where wild pigs choose to give birth.
Shortly before giving birth, pigs dig a shallow depression in the ground and line it with grass, leaves and sticks. Sometimes a nest is built under an uprooted stump or next to a fallen tree. The nest provides concealment (protection from predators) as well as protection from the elements for newborn pigs.
Nesting sites are not chosen at random, but the study found that pigs did not prefer a particular habitat type for their nests. Being near water was the only consistent factor for pigs in the study. “All nests were within 25m of an identified water source,” the study noted.
The study was published in the January 2026 issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science.