Swine language is the new talk of the town. Researchers in Europe recorded 7,414 sounds from 411 pigs in different scenarios from birth to death. They also measured heart rate and monitored behavior. The researchers then developed an algorithm to determine if pigs were experiencing a positive or negative emotion or something in between.
Due to the impact of emotions on vocalization, the analysis of vocal expressions of emotions is increasingly being considered as an important non-invasive tool to assess the affective aspects of animal welfare,” the study said.
Source: The Guardian, March 22, 2022. Link. There are clear differences in pig calls when we look at positive and negative situations,” said Elodie Briefer, a professor the University of Copenhagen’s biology department who co-led the study. “In the positive situations, the calls are far shorter, with minor fluctuations in amplitude. Grunts, more specifically, begin higher and gradually go lower in frequency.”