Dissertation on the Hell Pig, Vol. 2 with Joe Sawchak

 Joe Sawchak is a collection assistant for the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pa. We called him to talk about the hell pig, the prehistoric creature that was completely in charge of the planet for more than 10 million years.You always have to wade through a lot of names when it comes to paleontology but don’t let that stop you from marveling at this specimen. A strange warthog-like creature (only a lot bigger) with four sets of teeth falls into the category of entelodonts. It’s referred to as Dinohyus at the Carnegie Museum. That means “terrible pig” (now you can see where the hell-pig label came from). Oh yes, it’s also referred to by another name, Daedon, but don’t let that throw you; that’s just one of those apatosaurus/brontosaurus things where a creature of the past gets tagged with two names. Whatever you call it, the hell pig must have done a lot of damage in its day.We called Joe because his museum is home to what is probably the most complete, best-preserved fossil skeleton of this terrible pig that’s ever been discovered. In 1905, Carnegie Museum field collector T. F. Olcott unearthed this skeleton from the Agate Springs Fossil Quarry in Nebraska. But the museum has something else, something that’s no longer on display but is stored away in the museum’s Big Bone Room.To snake a peek, check out the Carnegie Museum website with Joe's description athttps://carnegiemnh.org/dinohyus-terrible-pig-in-more-ways-than-one/ It’s a replica of the hell pig, made shortly after the museum put their entelodont skeleton display early in the 20th century. “To several members of the (vertebrate paleontology) staff, including myself, the model—lovingly known as the Hyus—is perhaps even more horrifying than the actual creature itself,” noted Sawchak in a blog on the museum site.It’s the model’s eyes, said Joe. “They seem so ‘emotive’ or ‘human’ that it’s disturbing. It almost seems as though they’re staring right into your soul,” noted Sawchak.If anyone ever had run into a real-life hell pig,  it's disturbing to think about is what it might have done to a mere human. As big as a buffalo with a three-foot head full of teeth and an appetite for just about anything living or dead, this pig meant business. Thankfully, they exited the planet over 15 million years ago.It was fun talking with Joe, a dinosaur fanatic who clearly loves his job, and the man who took us inside the Big Bone Room for a glimpse of the past.