Details
Tayassu pecari
A large forest peccary of Central and South America, recognized by pale lips and strong herd behavior. Herds can travel long distances.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
White-lipped peccaries inhabit rainforest, seasonal forest, swamp forest, and wooded savannas. Water, fruiting trees, and connected forest are important.
They are dark brown to black with a pale muzzle. The head is large, the legs are short, and moving herds leave strong ground signs.
They are highly social and forage in large herds. Vocalizations and tooth clacking help maintain contact and warn of danger.
They eat fruit, seeds, roots, rhizomes, nuts, leaves, and small animals. By cracking hard seeds, they are important seed predators.
Females bear one or two young within the herd. Young join group movements early and benefit from collective defense.
Because they require large ranges and cohesive herds, the species is sensitive to hunting and forest fragmentation.
