Details
Pecari tajacu
A widespread peccary from the southwestern United States through much of tropical America. A pale collar, coarse coat, and short tail identify it.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Collared peccaries use desert scrub, savanna, dry forest, tropical forest, and riparian woodland. Shade, thickets, and rocky cover are used for resting.
They have coarse gray-brown fur, a pale collar across the shoulders, and a very short tail. They resemble pigs but belong to a separate peccary family.
They live in herds and use scent glands to recognize group members and mark areas. In hot regions they rest by day and forage in cooler hours.
They eat cactus pads, fruit, roots, bulbs, seeds, grasses, insects, and small animals. Succulent plants provide food and water in dry habitats.
Females usually bear one or two young. Young develop within cohesive herds that move together when alarmed.
In North America the species is often called javelina, though it is not a true pig.
