Mangalitsa, a rare breed of European pig that originated in Austria and Hungary. The name has several spelling variations. From Wikipedia, I found that the Serbian name is Mangalica and means "hog with a lot of lard." A zoo in the UK has recently imported three of them in an attempt to save them from extinction. A British variation of the "sheep pig" was once a common sight in Lincolnshire and was shorn once a year to make sweaters from the hair, but they became extinct in Britain in 1972 according to an article at Scribd.com http://http//www.scribd.com/doc/30350048/Mangalitza-Sheep-Pigs
Additional information at
http://http//www.scribd.com/doc/30350048/Mangalitza-Sheep-Pigs
http://http//www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/swine/mangalitsa/index.htm
http://http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalitsa
http://http//www.pawnation.com/tag/mangalitza/
Wow, what a sight. I have never heard of this animal. I can see why it would be a sheep/pig. It does look a bit piggy and sheepy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteThere are even folks who think that someone crossed a sheep with a pig to get that result, but they are a natural critter.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a creature like that...makes me appreciate the sheep and the pig even more, this one looks a bit unnatural to me...like a labradoodle,(mix between a labrador and poodle) remember those fadish dogs? Smile today. :)
ReplyDeleteI saw this on Facebook the other day and so many folks were going on about how cute it is. All I could think is that is one ugly sheep/pig. They were saying that the fiber is really coarse.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it oinks like a regular pig?
I've never heard of this before. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSeriously hysterical!
ReplyDeleteYes, Robin. From a knitting aspect, from what I've read, the wool is supposed to be coarse. I can't imagine wearing a sweater knit from it.
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