Mexican hog, Musk hog, Javelina, Quenk, Saíno or Báquiro
The Collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu) is a species of even-toed mammal found in North, Central, and South America. They are commonly referred to as javelina, saíno, or báquiro, although these terms are also used to describe other species in the family. The species is also known as the Musk hog. In Trinidad, it is colloquially known as quenk. Although Collared peccaries seem to be helpless, in fact, they can defend themselves against the most fearsome predators, using their hordes.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Collared peccary has small tusks that point toward the ground when the animal is upright. It has slender legs with a robust or stocky body. The tail is often hidden in the coarse fur of the peccary.
Collared peccaries are native to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. They have a rather large area of distribution, stretching from South America (northern Argentina) to Central America and as far north as the southern portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the U.S. These animals inhabits deserts, xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, shrublands, flooded grasslands and savannas, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and several other habitats. They also present in habitats shared by humans, merely requiring sufficient cover. Peccaries can be found in cities, suburbs and agricultural land throughout their range.
Collared peccaries can be active during the daytime hours and in some areas of their range at night. They are highly social animals, gathering in considerably large groups of up to 50 individuals, led by a single alpha male, which mates with females of the group. Community members usually form close bonds with each other. They also practice mutual grooming, which is thought to enhance interpersonal relationships. Males typically engage in harsh competition, which rarely results in mortality. Collared peccaries display very territorial behavior, marking their home ranges with special scent glands, found on their rump. Scent marking occurs by rubbing the hind part on the ground or tree bark. This form of communication allows group members to recognize each other. Collared peccaries also communicate with each other using alarm calls, aggression display, or a submission sound.
Collared peccaries generally maintain a herbivorous (folivorous, granivorous, frugivorous, graminivorous) diet. They normally feed on cactus, mesquite beans, fruits, berries, seeds, roots, tubers, bulbs, palm nuts, grasses, other green vegetation, fungi, and insects. However, they will also eat eggs, snakes, fish, frogs, lizards, dead birds, and rodents if the opportunity presents itself. Despite all this supplementary diet, the main dietary components of this species are agaves and prickly pears. In areas inhabited by humans, they also consume cultivated crops and ornamental plants, such as tulip bulbs.
Collared peccaries exhibit a polygynous mating system, where a single alpha male mates with females of the group and defends his mating rights against other males of the area. These animals don't display a specific breeding season and instead may breed throughout the year. Gestation period lasts for up to 150 days, yielding 1 - 5 young. Females usually leave the group for one day prior to giving birth, in order to protect their young. After a short while, the newborn peccaries begin following their mother. Young peccaries are weaned at about 2-3 months of age. However, they remain with their mother for the first 11-12 months of their lives, after which they reach maturity. The age of reproductive maturity is 8-14 months old for females and 11-12 months old for males.
Despite being classified as Least Concern, Collared peccaries are affected by several factors, which negatively impact their numbers. Throughout their range, these animals are currently facing the loss of their natural habitat. They are also predated by wild felines. Further, due to raiding crops, they are considered to be a pest species and are thus commonly persecuted by humans, who try to protect their crops by trapping or directly shooting Collared peccaries. On the other hand, these animals have suffered from continuous hunting for food in Central and South America. The total population of this species has greatly reduced because of commercial hunting for their hide and meat. Currently, they are hunted for sport in the southwestern United States.
According to IUCN, the Collared peccary is widely distributed and common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. As reported by the About Animal resource, south-western North America holds more than 2,000,000 individuals of this species. These animals are also found in Central and Southern America, where their numbers appear to be stable. Overall, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers remain stable today.
Being herbivores, Collared peccaries may have a role in the structuring of plant communities and are seed dispersers. They may also affect large carnivore populations (jaguar, puma, coyote), as items of prey.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...