Researchers observed a family of critically endangered Visayan warty pigs using sticks to dig and build nests, evidence that the digitless swine are capable of using tools… Visayan warty pigs are an endangered species from the Philippines ( AFP/Getty Images ) Pigs have been recorded using tools for the first time by a scientist at a French zoo. (Learn more about the Visayan and its rockstar mohawk.) Root-Bernstein noticed pigs using tools in 2015 during a chance observation at a zoo. Visayan warty pigs live in family units and, much like human children, study each other to learn what goes right, according to the study. Sure enough, the next spring, a colleague returned to the warty pig enclosure and recorded three of the four animals using tools to complete their nest, an earthen pit filled with leaves. The Visayan warty pig was seen utilizing a piece of wood as if it were a shovel. Later she found that this behavior had never been described by biologists. An ecologist at a zoo in Paris has documented the first ever instance of Visayan warty pigs using tools. Visayan warty pigs were the first pig species ever to be recorded using tools for digging at a French zoo. She hypothesized that what she’d seen was related to nest-building, which Visayan warty pigs generally do every six months to prepare for the arrival of piglets. She watched a Visayan warty pig named Priscilla use a piece of bark like a shovel to scoop dirt. A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in France has found evidence of pigs using tools—a first. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark. Sure enough, the next spring, a colleague returned to the warty pig enclosure and recorded three of the four animals using tools to complete their nest, an earthen pit filled with leaves. + Read More. Because the land that is cleared for farming is often unproductive after a few years, the food sources of the Visayan warty pig are extremely limited, a factor that has contributed significantly to the pig's dwindling numbers. In a Skype call to Vice, Root-Bernstein said: A viral video shows a family of Visayan warty pigs (Sus cebifrons) using a piece of tree bark or branch to build a nest at a zoo in Paris. Only about 300 Visayan warty pigs exist in captivity (pictured, an animal at the Minnesota Zoo). Visayan warty pigs were the first pig species ever to be recorded using tools for digging at a French zoo. The clip below shows a Visayan warty pig, … Center, the piece of bark (indicated with arrow) was later observed next to the new nest pit shown circled. Far left, the mother Visayan warty pig, Priscilla, (indicated with arrow) immediately after using the piece of bark to dig in the nest pit indicated by the dotted oval (behind the two individuals). Researchers observed a family of critically endangered Visayan warty pigs using sticks to dig and build nests, evidence that the digitless swine are capable of using tools, according to a study in the journal Mammalian Biology. Scientists have uncovered the first evidence of tool use by the Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons), a critically endangered species native to the Philippines. Pigs recorded using tools for the first time The observations could signal a new cognitive skill previously unknown in swine – which are well known for their intelligence. A viral video shows a family of Visayan warty pigs (Sus cebifrons) using a piece of tree bark or branch to build a nest at a zoo in Paris. Visayan warty pig piglets are often seen during the dry season between the months of January and March in their native habitat of the western Visayan Islands. In any case, the behavior was likely learned among Priscilla’s family. Pigs have demonstrated their ability to use tools in new footage recorded at the Ménagerie Zoo in Paris. Their wild population is unknown. [4] Reproduction Visayan warty pig piglets, Sus cebifrons. The Visayan warty pig was seen utilizing a piece of wood as if it were a shovel. The study couldn’t determine just why the pigs keep digging. Pigs had never been studied using tools before