Collared peccary
Collared peccary | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Tayassuidae |
Genus: | Dicotyles Cuvier, 1816 |
Species: | D. tajacu
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Binomial name | |
Dicotyles tajacu | |
Synonyms | |
Pecari tajacu |
The collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) is a species of artiodactyl (even-toed) mammal in the family Tayassuidae found in North, Central, and South America. It is the only member of the genus Dicotyles. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno, taitetu, or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family. The species is also known as the musk hog. In Trinidad, it is colloquially known as quenk.[3]
Taxonomy
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,
Description
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).
Range and habitat
The collared peccary is widespread throughout much of the tropical and subtropical
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-extinct flat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) and long-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 from Florida, 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 by cacti and mesquite, which are more desirable habitat for javelinas.[12]
Diet
Collared peccaries are often classified as herbivores. They normally feed on
Predators
The main predators of the collared peccary are cougars (Puma concolor), Mexican wolves (Canis lupus baileyi), coyotes (Canis latrans), jaguars (Panthera onca), and bobcats (Lynx rufus).[16]
Behavior
Collared peccaries are
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.
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.[15]
The "giant peccary"
The giant peccary (described as Pecari maximus) was a purported fourth species of
The reported range of the giant peccary encompasses the south-central
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.
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.
Gallery
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A herd seen by a fixed camera in Scottsdale, Arizona
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Running collared peccary
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Mother and juvenile
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A Pueblo drinking vessel
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A herd of collared peccaries in Zagreb Zoo
Explanatory notes
- ^ Excluding the populations of Mexico and the United States of America.
References
- ^ . Retrieved 18 February 2022. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b c "Tayassu tajacu (Collared Peccary or Quenk)" (PDF). Sta.uwi.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- S2CID 222846767.
- ^ "Dicotyles tajacu (Linnaeus, 1758)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ "Collared Peccary: Javelina ~ Tayaussa ~ Musk Hog". Digital West Media Inc. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-395-93596-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-395-93596-5.
- ^ "A un año de su liberación, los pecaríes ya se adaptaron y tienen cría". ecos.la (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-04-22. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
- ^ a b Friederici, Peter (August–September 1998). "Winners and Losers". National Wildlife Magazine. 36 (5). National Wildlife Federation.
- ^ ]
- ^ a b Taylor, Rick; Synatzske, David R. (2008). The Javelina in Texas (PDF). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
- ^ Hulbert, Richard C.; Morgan, Gary S.; Kerner, Andreas (January 2009). "Collared peccary (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Tayassuidae, Pecari) from the late Pleistocene of Florida". Papers on Geology, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Biostratigraphy in Honor of Michael O. Woodburne: 543–555 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ a b c d e f Ingmarsson, Lisa. "Pecari tajacu (collared peccary)". Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Animal Fact Sheet: Collared Peccary or Javelina". Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- ^ Ingmarsson, Lisa. "Pecari tajacu (collared peccary)". Animaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ a b c Roosmalen, M.G.M.; Frenz, L.; Hooft, W.F. van; Iongh, H.H. de; Leirs, H. 2007. A New Species of Living Peccary (Mammalia: Tayassuidae) from the Brazilian Amazon. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 55(2): 105–112.
- ^ a b Gongora, J., Taber, A., Keuroghlian, A., Altrichter, M., Bodmer, R.E., Mayor, P., Moran, C., Damayanti, C.S., González S. (2007). Re-examining the evidence for a ‘new’ peccary species, Pecari maximus, from the Brazilian Amazon. Newsletter of the Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos Specialist Group of the IUCN/SSC. 7(2): 19–26.
- ^ Trials of a Primatologist. Archived 2009-10-14 at the Portuguese Web Archive, Smithsonianmag.com. accessed March 15, 2008
- ^ Gongora, J. (2008). "Pecari maximus". Retrieved 25 November 2008.[dead link]
- ^ a b Gongora, J., Biondo, C., Cooper, J.D., Taber, A., Keuroghlian, A., Altrichter, M., Ferreira do Nascimento, F., Chong, A.Y., Miyaki, C.Y., Bodmer, R., Mayor, P. and González, S. (2011). Revisiting the species status of Pecari maximus van Roosmalen et al., 2007 (Mammalia) from the Brazilian Amazon. Bonn Zoological Bulletin 60(1): 95-101.
- ^ Moravec, J., & Böhme, W. (2009). Second Find of the Recently Discovered Amazonian Giant Peccary, Pecari maximus (Mammalia: Tayassuidae) van Roosmalen et al., 2007: First Record from Bolivia Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 56(1-2): 49-54.