
Pigs may not be able to fly but, as these pictures from the Bahamas show, they can definitely swim.

The large family of pigs are something of a tourist attraction on the uninhabited Caribbean island of Big Major Cay, which hundreds of people visit every year to take a dip with the animals.

The swine trot along the beach, soaking up the sun before taking a dip in the 24C ocean, often paddling 300ft from the shore to greet people as they arrive on yachts.

Just how the pigs came to live on the island, which is blessed with a freshwater spring, is shrouded in mystery.

One theory is that sailors dropped the animals off on the island, known as Big Major Cay, with the intention of coming back to eat them later but never returned. Another legend suggests they were involved in a shipwreck but were able to swim to shore, remaining on the island ever since.

All they ever have to worry about is where their next meal is coming from, and they have worked out that crews of passing yachts regularly dump excess food into the sea.

As this bizarre yet beautiful collection pictures shows, the pigs are remarkably well adapted to their beach bum lifestyle of frolicking in the crystal clear water and lazing on the sand.

The images were captured by photographers Jean-Louis Klein and Marie-Luce Hubert, who travelled from their home in Lupstien, France to the Bahamian paradise.

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Hoggy paddle: Swimming pigs on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas have become something of a tourist attraction

Bay of pigs: The swine snooze on the white sands of Big Major Cay island before taking a dip in the crystal clear waters

Hog heaven: The pigs are perfectly friendly, swimming out to welcome tourist boats arriving on their private island

Hogging the limelight: This pig appears to be having a whale of a time as it paddles in the 24C water with a family of humans looking on

Prized pigs: Just how the family came to live on the tiny island is a mystery, with several theories put forward by nearby islanders

Bacon hot: Two pigs, happy to swim alongside a photographer, cool down in the ocean after a nap in Caribbean sun

Pigs can't fly... but they can swim: The incredible pictures were taken by French photographers Jean-Louis Klein and Marie-Luce Hubert

The pigs are remarkably well adapted to their beach bum lifestyle of frolicking in the crystal clear water and lazing on the sand

Star attraction: Tourists visit the paradise, nicknamed Pig Island, to visit the swine in their unusual habitat every year

All the pigs have to worry about is where their next meal is coming from, and they have worked out that the crews of passing yachts regularly dump excess food into the sea

Beach Babe: The pigs are thought to have been introduced to the island by passing sailors who may have thought they would make a good food source