Parts of a Market Hog

By the time they are taken to market, hogs are between five to six months old and weigh between 240 and 260 lbs. Hogs are raised primarily for the production of pork, the meat with the highest consumption rate in the world. Hogs have a simple stomach -- or monogastric digestive tract -- similar to the human digestive system. The animals primarily consume grains. Hogs exist in many breeds and colors, but all have a similar body structure.

  1. Head

    • A hog's head begins with the snout and the mouth. The face is the area between the eyes and the snout. The size and shape of the ears varies according to the breed. The chin is called the jowl. The jowl is used as salt-pork, or made into a bacon-like product.

    Neck and Shoulder

    • Hogs have a short, thick neck. The shoulder is divided into two cuts of meat. The upper part of the shoulder is called the Boston butt, while the lower part is the picnic shoulder. These cuts of pork are prepared as roasts, or sliced into shoulder chops.

    Side

    • The hog's side produces spareribs and bacon. Pork belly is the boneless part of the side that yields bacon.

    Back and Rear

    • The back is divided into the back, loin and rump. The back begins at the connection with the shoulders. The back and loin are cut into chops or roasts. The rump is the top part of the ham, or rear of the hog. Pigs have a short, curled tail.

    Feet and Legs

    • The knees are prominent on the front legs, while the large joint on the rear legs is called the hock. The bone below the knee is the cannon bone. The joint below the cannon bone -- and above the toes -- is the pastern. On the back of the lower legs are two projections called dew claws.

    Digestive Tract

    • The digestive tract begins with the mouth. The chewed food passes down a tube called the esophagus, and enters the stomach. Chemicals in the stomach digest the food. The mostly digested food passes into the small intestine, the site of absorption. The large intestine absorbs water and collects the waste. The cecum -- a small pouch at the junction of the small and large intestine -- is nonfunctioning. Undigested food passes out of the body through the anus.