Peccaries Peccaries
Peccaries

Scientific Classification

Common Name
peccaries (plural), peccary (singular)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Tayassuidae
Genus Species
Three Genera (Catagonus, Pecari, and Tayassu) encompassing three species

Fast Facts

Description
Coat is coarse and bristled, with a pronounced mane of longer hairs running along the middorsal region from crown to hindquarters. Body form is quite pig-like with longer, slimmer legs. Additionally, the snout is more elongate than that of a domestic pig.
Size
Head and body length: 750 to 1,112 mm (2.5 to 3.6 ft)
Tail length: 15 to 102 mm (0.6 to 4.0 in.)
Shoulder height: 440 to 690 mm (17.3 to 27.2 in.)
Weight
14 to 50 kg (30.9 to 110.2 lbs.); depending on species
Diet
Seeds, roots, cacti, carrion, invertebrates, small vertebrates, berries, and fruits – depending on species
Incubation
145 to 162 days, depending on species
Sexual Maturity
1 to 2 years
Life Span
20 to 25 years
Range
Southwestern United States to central Argentina
Habitat
Semi-arid thorn forest, steppe, desert scrub, arid woodland, rainforest, savannah, and chaco – depending on species
Population
Global: Unknown
Status 
IUCN: Catagonus is classified as Endangered
CITES: Appendix I; Pecari and Tayassu are listed on Appendix II
USFWS:  Not listed

Fun Facts

  1. Peccaries are highly social animals - often scent-marking one another as well as physical territory.
  2. When feeling threatened, Pecari will clash its canine teeth together as a warning.
  3. Pecari has been recorded sprinting up to 35 kph (22 mph).
  4. Pecari's sense of smell is so good that it is capable of detecting bulbs 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in.) below the soil's surface.
  5. Pecari, if wounded or threatened, may attack as entire herd. The herd can consist of up to 50 members.
  6. Tayassu may form herds of several hundred individuals.

Ecology and Conservation

All species are hunted for subsistence, commecial, and/or sport purposes. Two species are additionally targeted for the commercial value of their hide. Perhaps the greatest threat to peccaries, however, is the clearing and fragmentation of the habitats in which they reside.


Bibliography

Nowak, Ronald M. Walker's Mammals of the World - Volume I (Sixth Edition). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.