| Collared peccary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| AtMelbourne Zoo, Australia | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Tayassuidae |
| Genus: | Dicotyles Cuvier, 1816 |
| Species: | D. tajacu |
| Binomial name | |
| Dicotyles tajacu | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Pecari tajacu | |
Thecollared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) is apeccary, a species ofartiodactyl (even-toed)mammal in the familyTayassuidae found inNorth,Central, andSouth America. It is the only member of the genusDicotyles. They are commonly referred to asjavelina,saíno,taitetu, orbáquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family. The species is also known as themusk hog. In Trinidad, it is colloquially known asquenk.[3]
Although somewhat related to true Old World pigs, and frequently referred to as a pig, this species and the other peccaries are no longer classified in the pig family,Suidae. Although formerly classified in the genusPecari, studies in 2020 placed them in the genusDicotyles, based on an unequivocal type-species selection; these studies have been accepted by theAmerican Society of Mammalogists.[4][5] Currently, theIUCN still places them in the genusPecari.[1]
The collared peccary stands around 510–610 mm (20–24 in) tall at the shoulder and is about 1.0–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) long. It weighs between 16 and 27 kg (35 and 60 lb).[6] Thedental formula is: 2/3,1/1,3/3,3/3.[7] The collared peccary has small tusks that point toward the ground when the animal is upright. It has slender legs with a robust or stocky body. The tail is often hidden in the coarse fur of the peccary.[8]
The collared peccary is widespread throughout much of the tropical and subtropicalAmericas, ranging from theSouthwestern United States to northernArgentina. They were reintroduced toUruguay in 2017, after 100 years ofextirpation there.[9] The onlyCaribbean island where it is native, however, isTrinidad. Until fairly recently, it was also present on the nearby island ofTobago, but is now exceedingly rare (if not extirpated) due tooverhunting by humans. An adaptable species, it inhabitsdeserts, xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, shrublands, flooded grasslands and savannas,tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and several other habitats; it is also present in habitats shared by humans, merely requiring sufficient cover. Peccaries can be found incities and agricultural land throughout their range, where they consume garden plants. Notable populations are known to exist in thesuburbs ofPhoenix andTucson, Arizona.[10][11]
Due to the lack of fossil material or even specimens from archeological sites, it was assumed that javelinas only recently crossed into the US from further south by way of Mexico, being previously excluded from the region by competition with the now-extinctflat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) andlong-nosed peccary (Mylohyus nasutus). The first records of the species in its US range are from 18th-century Jesuit missions, and no evidence of remains is known from sites prior to 1700.[12] However, in 2009, a fossil jaw of this species was described fromFlorida, proving that at some point in the late Pleistocene the species had already inhabited part of the Southern US and coexisted with the other two peccary species.[13] The spread of javelinas throughout the Southwest may have been due to the overgrazing of native grasslands by livestock, leading to their replacement bycacti andmesquite, which are more desirable habitat for javelinas.[12] The javelina is also known from fossils from Toca da Barriguda in Bahia, Brazil.[14]
Collared peccaries are often classified as herbivores. They normally feed oncactus,mesquite beans, fruits, berries, seeds, roots,tubers,bulbs,palm nuts, grasses, other green vegetation,fungi, and insects.[3][15] However, they will also eat eggs, snakes, fish, frogs, lizards, dead birds, and rodents if the opportunity presents itself.[16][15] Despite all this supplementary diet, the main dietary components of this species areagaves andprickly pears.[15] In areas inhabited by humans, they also consume cultivated crops andornamental plants, such astulipbulbs.[10][11]
The main predators of the collared peccary arecougars (Puma concolor),Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi),coyotes (Canis latrans),jaguars (Panthera onca), andbobcats (Lynx rufus).[17]
Collared peccaries arediurnal creatures that live in groups of up to 50 individuals, averaging between six and nine animals. They sleep in burrows (often under bushes or larger systems of tree roots), but sometimes can be found in caves, abandoned mines, old desert tunnels, or among logs, felled trees and abandoned timber.[8] However, collared peccaries are not completely diurnal. In central Arizona, they are often more active at night, and less so in the heat of the daytime.
Although they usually ignore humans, they will react if they feel threatened. They defend themselves with their tusks. A collared peccary can release a strong musk or give a sharp bark if it is alarmed.[8] Amazonian peoples (including theShipibos) sometimes raise and tame juvenile collared peccaries, if they are encountered.
Peccary will also rub their scent onto rocks and tree stumps to mark their territory, and rub the scent on each other to help with identification.[16]
Thegiant peccary (described asPecari maximus) was a purported fourth species ofpeccary, first reported to have been seen inBrazil in 2000 by Dutch naturalistMarc van Roosmalen. In 2003 Germannatural history filmmaker Lothar Frenz filmed a group and gathered a skull which later served as thetype (INPA4272). It had been known locally ascaitetú-mundè, which Roosmalenet al. state the locals claimed wasTupí and meant "the collared peccary that is bigger and goes in pairs", as opposed tocaitetú-de-bando, "the collared peccary that goes in herds". It was formallydescribed in 2007,[18] but the scientific evidence for its species status was quickly questioned,[19][20] which also was one of the reasons for its initial evaluation asdata deficient byIUCN in 2008.[21] A review in 2011 moved the giant peccary intosynonymy with the collared peccary (P. tajacu),[22] which was followed by theIUCN the same year.[1]
The reported range of the giant peccary encompasses the south-centralAmazon between theMadeira and theTapajós Rivers and northernBolivia.[23] It is restricted toterra firme forest, which is forest that does not flood annually. Unlike other peccaries in its range, the giant peccary was reported to mainly occur in pairs or small family groups.[18]
According to its original description, the giant peccary is larger, longer-legged, and proportionally smaller-headed than the only other member of the genus, the collared peccary.[18] Compared to most individuals of thesympatric populations of the collared peccary, the giant peccary also had thinner fur that is grizzled in brown and white, blacker legs, and a relatively faint collar. Five skins of the giant peccary had a total length of 120–137 cm (47–54 in), while local hunters have estimated a weight of 40–50 kg (88–110 lb). Based on amtDNA study, the collared and the giant peccaries were estimated to have diverged 1.0–1.2 million years ago, but these results were later questioned due to the smallsample size, lowbootstrap support, and the absence ofnDNA andcytogenetic results.[19][1]
In 2011, a review noted that the measurements provided in the initial description were within those generally recognized for the collared peccary, and the behaviors supposedly unique to the giant peccary are also known from the collared peccary.[22] They also provided new genetic evidence showing that collared peccaries from South America form amonophyleticclade that includes the giant peccary (without it the clade isparaphyletic). The major genetic split within the collared peccary is between a clade comprising North and Central American specimens, and a clade comprising South American specimens (the presumed contact zone is inColombia, which has both clades). Furthermore, extensiveinfraspecific variations (both individual and locality-based) are known in themorphology of the collared peccary.[1]
