Family
Tayassuidae
Peccaries |
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The peccaries are the New World's ecological equivalent of Old World
pigs (Suidae), occurring from the southwestern
United states to central Argentina. They are distinctly pig-like
in form, with a compact body and an elongated head ending with a naked
nasal disc, but peccaries are much smaller than members of the Suidae.
There are three Recent peccary species in three genera: one, the Chacoan
peccary (Catagonus wagneri) was known only from Pleistocene fossils
until 1975, when a surviving population was found in the Grand Chaco of Paraguay.
Peccaries likely evolved from the Suidae, and are first known from late Eocene
or early Oligocene deposits in Europe. Tayassuid fossils have been
found in Asia, Africa, and both North and South America, but peccaries are
known only from the Americas after the Miocene.
The Tayassuidae are omnivorous, but tend to rely more heavily on plant material
than the Old World Suidae. The stomach is two chambered as in the Suidae,
but is more complex. The ability of peccaries to utilize varied food
sources (coupled with a reduced number of competitors) has allowed this family
to expand into a variety of habitats, including arid deserts, dense tropical
forests, and open scrubland. They are gregarious, associating in flexible
groups with up to around 50 animals, but temporary groupings may include
several hundred individuals.
The feet of the Tayassuidae are slender, with four toes on the forefeet but
only two (Catagonus) or three (Tayassu, Pecari) toes
on the hind feet. The tail has 6-9 caudal vertebrae, compared to 20+
in the Suidae. All peccaries have a bristly coat, with a mane of erectile
hairs running from the crown of the head to the rump. A scent gland
is located on the back just above the tail, and is used in mutual grooming.
The skull has a virtually straight profile. Peccaries possess
a nasal disc very similar to suids. The canines are nearly straight
and are directed slightly outward - the upper and lower canines slide against
each other, stabilizing the jaw when cracking nuts and simultaneously sharpening
the teeth into effective weapons. The dental formula for all species
is I 2/3, C1/1, P 3/3, M 3/3 x 2 = 38. |
The Peccary Family
Tree
(branch lengths are not proportional to
time)
Click on the species above to learn
more,
or jump to the Tayassuidae Species
List
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Literature Cited
Gongora, J., and C. Moran. 2005. Nuclear and mitochondrial
evolutionary analyses of Collared, White-lipped,and Chacoan peccaries
(Tayassuidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution; 34: 181-189.
Martin, R. E., R. H. Pine, and A. F. DeBlase. 2001. A Manual
of Mammalogy, Third Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Publishing.
Nowak, R. M. [Editor]. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. Fifth Edition.
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Theimer, T. C., and P. Keim. 1998. Phylogenetic relationships
of peccaries based on mitochondrial cytochrome B DNA sequences. Journal
of Mammalogy; 79(2): 566-572.
Vaughan, T. A., J. M. Ryan, and N. J. Czaplewski. 2000. Mammalogy. Fourth
Edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia.
Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder [editors]. 2005. Mammal Species of
the World (3rd Edition). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp.
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