Knowra Peccary Peccary A peccary is a hoofed, pig-like mammal native to the Americas and belonging to the family Tayassuidae. Its close resemblance to pigs reflects shared ancestry within the order Artiodactyla, not membership in the pig family.
Tayassuidae : Tayassuidae is the mammal family comprising peccaries, with three living species native to the Americas. This is the family that contains every living peccary.
Collared peccary : The collared peccary is a widespread peccary species found from the southwestern United States through Central and South America. It is the most broadly distributed living peccary.
Omnivory : Omnivory is a feeding strategy in which an animal consumes both plant and animal matter. Peccaries eat varied foods, though plant material dominates their diets.
Keystone species : A keystone species has ecological effects disproportionately large relative to its abundance. Peccaries can influence forest structure through feeding, trampling, and seed movement.
Miocene : The Miocene is a geological epoch that lasted from about 23 million to 5.3 million years ago. Peccary fossils document the family’s deep history during this epoch.
Artiodactyla : Artiodactyla is the mammal order of even-toed ungulates, including pigs, camels, deer, and cattle. Peccaries belong to this broader group of hoofed mammals.
White-lipped peccary : The white-lipped peccary is a large, social species native to Central and South American forests. Large herds make this forest species especially distinctive.
Seed dispersal : Seed dispersal is the movement of seeds away from the plants that produced them. By eating and carrying fruits, peccaries can redistribute seeds.
Trophic cascade : A trophic cascade occurs when changes at one level of a food web affect other levels indirectly. Changes in peccary abundance can affect predators and the plants they consume.
Great American Biotic Interchange : The Great American Biotic Interchange was the movement of land animals between North and South America after their connection. Peccary lineages spread through the Americas as land connections enabled faunal exchange.
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