Collared peccary

By Eleanor Warren-Thomas

Scientific Name: Pecari tajacu

Collared Peccaries can be found across a very wide area in North, Central and South America, but they aren't found in Asia, Europe, Africa or Australasia. They live as far north as the southern US states of Arizona and Texas, range through Mexico and central America all the way down through the Amazon basin, and can be found as far south as Paraguay, Bolivia and northern Argentina. They are even found on some Caribbean islands! Peccaries can live in lots of different types of habitats - woodlands, tropical dry forests, rainforests, savannas, grasslands and even deserts. They can also be found in places where people live, such as farmland and plantations. Collared peccaries are very adaptable, and can live in the hot, humid jungles, but can also cope with light snow, and freezing temperatures!

One of the reasons why Collared Peccaries can live in so many different habitats and places is that they are 'generalists' - this means that they eat lots of different types of food, and don't depend on one particular food to survive. Collared Peccaries are omnivorous - this means that they eat plants (including roots, fruits, seeds, leaves and flowers) as well as meat in the form of insects, frogs, small mammals and carrion (dead animals). This means that they can find some sort of food in all types of habitats. In different habitats, Collared Peccaries eat different food, depending on what they can find. All types of peccary are very sociable, and they live in groups (from small groups of 6, up to 50 individuals!). To keep in touch with each other, Collared Peccaries communicate in special ways. They make vocal noises, and also leave their strong scent on trees and rocks (you can smell when a peccary has been around!). They often separate into small groups during the day to look for food, but they stay within the home range (or territory) of the larger group, and like to stick together. Each group defends a territory where they eat, sleep and have their babies. All members of the group help to defend their home range from other groups - members of different groups may fight with each other by charging each other head on. They are most active in the daytime and early evening and sleep together in small groups, curled up in small hollows or caves. As well as sleeping at night, they often take naps during the day! Like other types of pig, collared peccaries like to wallow in mud and dust - this is good for their skin, and helps to keep biting insects away.

Collared peccary. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Collared Peccaries are of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List, which is a list of all the endangered species in the world. This means that at the moment, people are not too worried about Collared Peccaries, because they live in lots of places and in large numbers. However, lots of their habitat is being destroyed as forests are cut down for timber and to grow crops. This means that they now don't live in some areas that they used to - this is called "locally extinct". This is worrying for the future of the whole species. They are also hunted for meat for local people to eat, and for leather which is exported to other countries.

Peccaries are mammals that are closely related to pigs, but they are in a different family. Pigs and warthogs are in the family Suidae, but Peccaries are in the family Tayassuidae. This is because although pigs and peccaries look similar, they have some different body features and live in different places (peccaries are found in the Americas, but pigs and warthogs are found in Africa, Asia and Europe).

Because they live across such a wide range, Collared Peccaries have adapted to become slightly different in different places, as they feed on different things and move around different environments. Think about the difference between a desert where you might find prickly pears to eat, and thick, tangled jungle where you might find fruits and insects. This means that 14 'subspecies' have been named by scientists.

In some places where peccaries live near people, they rely on food handouts from humans, and for a long time, people have captured baby peccaries to keep as pets, or to fatten up and eat. There are even peccaries living in the cities of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona! In rainforest areas however, Collared Peccaries tend to be scared of people - probably because they are often hunted there.

Collared peccary. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Peccaries can't see very well, but have a great sense of smell and hearing - which is why they communicate to each other with noises and scent. They use their sensitive noses to find food underground, which they can dig out.

People have studied the different noises peccaries make, and found out that they have 15 types of call! They can bark, grunt, purr, woof and cough. Some of these are about social interactions (being submissive and aggressive), and others are to warn each other about predators.

Collared peccaries have lots of predators, including coyotes, pumas, jaguars, bobcats, and people.

Collared peccaries have their babies throughout the year, and the babies are able to walk around and follow their parents only an hour after being born! Each mother peccary usually has 1 - 3 babies, and they often have twins. The babies are yellow-brown, with a black stripe down their back - you can see a picture of them here

The average collared peccary weighs 18.6kg (41 pounds), and is 87cm long (34 inches). They are 30-50 cm tall (12 - 20 inches)

Peccaries can live until they are 24 years old!

Collared Peccaries have lots of different names. 'Javelina' is one - so-called because they have sharp tusks that look like spears, or javelins. They are called Collared Peccaries because of the yellowy-white 'collar' on their fur around their neck. They are also known as 'musk hog' because of their smell, and in Trinidad are called 'quenk'.

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