Monday, February 2, 2009

Riddle #41: Two Pigs

This is something that really happened: A man had two pigs that were identical twins from the same litter. However, when he sold them, he got 100 times more for one pig than the other one. Why?

The correct answer to this riddle has been guessed. To read it, see the comments section.

Lateral Thinking Puzzlers by Paul Sloane has lots of classic riddles, clues and answers. Click here to order it.

18 comments:

  1. Were the two pigs exactly identical in every feature at the time they were sold?

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  2. I think it was marketing. He sold one pig, and then he advertised the other as an identical twin and so somebody bought it for a higher price. Stupid consumers :)

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  3. Ancient Greek Philosopher, they were identical twins, but at the time they were sold, there was something different about them.

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  4. Old Fashioned Liberal, interesting thought, but no.

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  5. Did one have piglets? Was it bigger
    at the time it was sold? Did it
    eat golden hay? :-)

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  6. Was one of the pigs a trained pig?

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  7. Ancient Greek Philosopher: No to all those ideas.

    Halfmask: Yes, one was trained, but what was it trained to do?

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  8. Circus Acts? Military Purpose?
    A Pet?

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  9. Nope on all those, Halfmask. Maybe this one will take some research.

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  10. Ems - I think he sold them by the pound, and sold one several weeks or months after the first one, which he sold while it weighed in at baby weight; selling the other at adult weight. - Sugar river

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  11. Just saw the trained reference. Was it trained to find truffles?

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  12. Sonja,

    Your first guess was good, but I don't think it would bring 100 times a much. Your second guess is correct! It was trained to hunt truffles. Good job!

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  13. In case people haven't heard of truffles, they are a special kind of mushroom found in France, and trained pigs can smell them out. Truffles are worth a great deal of money and therefore truffle-hunting pigs are worth a great deal of money.

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  14. Ems - sell that brand new 25 lb. baby at 40 cents/lb. - then sell the 500 lb. championship mama sow for 2.00/lb. $10 to $1000 = 100 times as much. Or 4 cents and 20 cents if the market is low!

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  15. Sonja -- OK, I stand corrected. But is it true that baby pigs are worth less per pound than a sow? I really should know this, since I live in farm country, but I'm a city girl.

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  16. Well, I was close :)

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