What is the scientific name for the domestic pig?

• A. Sus vittatus
• B. Sus domesticus
• C. Sus scrofa
• D. Sus ferus

Answer: (C)

Binomial nomenclature names organisms with a genus and species, and when a distinct domesticated lineage is recognized, a subspecies name is added. The pig belongs to genus Sus, and the species Sus scrofa refers to the wild boar. The animal kept as a farm pig is the domesticated form of that lineage, so its full name is Sus scrofa domesticus (some sources use Sus scrofa domestica). This indicates it is the domestic subspecies of the wild boar. Other options point to different species or don’t include the proper subspecies, so they don’t capture that domesticated form within the same species.