The Role of Mud in Parasite Behavior in Pigs

Pigs in mud has been documented as an anti-parasite behavior in water buffaloes. It is assumed by many to serve the same function in pigs, but there's some countervailing evidence that wallowing reduced parasite loads in wild boar and actually did not find any correlation. But it's also been proposed that maybe having a layer of mud helps protect pigs from biting insects like flies and mosquitoes. A layer of mud could also help provide protection against sunburn to which domestic pigs are susceptible.