INTRODUCTION

Also called Javelins or Javelinas, Peccaries look much like pig. They have a large head and body, a cone-shaped snout that flattens at the end, and thin, squat legs. However, Peccaries are not pigs. Pigs and hogs are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia, and were brought to the Americas by settlers. Peccaries, while distantly related to pigs, aren’t in the same family. You can tell a Peccary apart from a pig by its tail and ears. Where pigs have longer tails and upright ears, the tail of a Peccary is so short it’s easily overlooked, and its ears are small and folded.

There are three distinct species, or kinds, of Peccaries. Each has its own range, though all live in either North or South America. The Collared Peccary is the smallest, though most widespread, ranging from Arizona and Texas down through Central and South America. The White-Lipped Peccary is larger but doesn’t live as far north. The Chocoan Peccary is the largest of the three, but its range is the most limited, and it is considered to be the most in danger of extinction.

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