This is one sensational swine.
Merlin the Pig, who boasts a staggering 1.1 million Instagram followers, recently earned a Guinness World Record for his social-media stardom.
The 4-year-old Mini Vietnamese potbelly, which lives in Sacramento, Calif., took home the title for the most followers on Instagram for a pig.
The popular pig is famous for starring in videos where he presses buttons that play voice recordings to express his feelings and desires.
“Merlin has over 30 buttons in the house that he uses regularly, sparking conversation online about just how intelligent, emotional, and human-like pigs can be when given the time, patience and positive reinforcement,” the record book explained.
His Instagram account is managed by his mother, Mina Alali, who adopted him in March 2022, and began training him when he was just 3 months old.
After Merlin won the title, Alali shared her excitement in a celebratory post featuring the astute animal alongside his official plaque.
“Thank you guys from the bottom of our human & piggy hearts – obviously couldn’t have done this without you and we are forever grateful for your consistent love and support,” she captioned the post, which received over 46,000 likes.
“The comments saying our content helps with bad days, depression, anxiety, etc is what gets me up in the morning even when I myself am going through a rough patch. So thank you.”
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