Pigs are more intelligent than we thought. They can play video games. Researchers in the USA did research on their gaming skills. The researchers were surprised. The test pigs could play games. Researchers got four pigs to play a simple game at different levels. They had to move a joystick with their nose to make a cursor move. If they were successful, they got a treat. Lead author Dr. Candace Croney said: "It's very clear they had some...understanding of what they were being asked to do." The research is in a paper published in a journal.
The research was quite long. The pigs spent many days playing the game. They played on three different levels. If they were successful at one level, they moved to the next level. The higher levels had nicer treats. A scientist said: "The pigs clearly understood the connection between their own behavior, the joystick, and what was happening on the screen." Dr Coney wants to understand how pigs get information, and what they can learn and remember. She said this would help us to understand more about pigs interacting with humans.