Peccary

Peccary, common name for a small, nocturnal wild pig, confined to the southwestern United States south to central Argentina. It is 0.8 to 1.1 m (2.6 to 3.6 ft) long, 44 to 69 cm (17 to 27 in) high at the shoulder, weighs about 14 to 40 kg (31 to 88 lb), and has grizzled gray-black or brown-black hair. Three species are known. The collared peccary, with a white neck band, is wide-ranging; it roams in groups of 2 to 50 animals, feeding on insects, roots, fruit, and reptiles. The white-lipped peccary is a less common, slightly larger forest dweller that runs in herds of up to several hundred individuals. The Chacoan peccary, with longer legs, ears, and snout, was originally described from subfossil remains, and was thought to have become extinct some 11,000 years ago. A live animal was subsequently discovered in Argentina, and was first reported in scientific literature in 1975.

Scientific classification: Peccaries make up the family Tayassuidae. The collared peccary is classified as Tayassu tajacu, the white-lipped peccary as Tayassu albirostris, and the Chacoan peccary as Catagonus wagneri.

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