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Collared peccaries, also called javelinas, look a lot like pigs but they actually belong to a different family of mammals.

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Map of South America

Collared Peccary

The collared peccary, also referred to as a Javelina or musk-hog, may resemble a pig, however, peccaries belong to a completely different family than true pigs. The collared peccary belongs to the Tayassuidae family while pigs belong to the Suidae family. The reasoning behind this separation is a result of anatomical differences between the animals.

Collared peccaries are a widespread animal which range from South-western United States through Central America and into South America. In South and Central America the collared peccary prefers to live in the tropical rainforests. Although, in North America they can be found roaming the deserts, which are particularly rich with prickly pears.

The javelina is definitely pig-like in appearance, however, they tend to be smaller than pigs with longer, thinner legs. As well, the collared peccary has a large head with a long snout and razor-sharp tusks which point towards the ground. Their coats are thick and bristly with a dark grey colour and a ring of white fur around their neck, which looks a lot like a collar. The collared peccary also has a very strong musk gland located on the top of their rump. In fact it is so strong that you will often smell this animal before you see it.

Collared peccaries are social animals which form bands generally ranging from 6 to 12 animals. This group of animals will do almost everything together from foraging to sleeping and eating. Only the old and sick don't band up since they prefer to die in on their own. These bands are usually lead by a dominant male with the rest of the pecking order determined by size. Due to the extremely hot temperatures in musk-hog's range, they tend to be most active during the cooler mornings and evenings. The rest of the day the peccaries will seek the shade or stay close to permanent watering holes since they are not able to cool themselves off by panting.

Peccaries mainly feed on berries, grass, roots, beans, nuts and cacti. In fact they rely very heavily on cacti such as the prickly pear since they have a very high water content. A good source of water is important in the drier climates. These animals will supplement their diet with animals such as insects and small lizards.

Predators of this pig-like animal include coyotes, mountain lions and jaguars, although the young and weak may also be preyed upon by bobcats, ocelots and the boa constrictor. The sharp upper canines and large herd formations are some of the defence mechanisms used by peccaries to protect themselves.

Females usually become mature around 8 to 14 months while the males are mature after 11 months. Breeding will occur all year long and is usually dependant upon the rain. During the wet and rainy years, more young tend to be born. The litter size of the peccary is between 1 and 4 young which have a gestation period of around 145 days.

Although, their hides have been a source of economic income for humans for decades, their population seems to remain healthy. Luckily the collared peccary is widespread and fairly abundant which leads to a conservation status of least concern.

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The collared peccary, also referred to as a Javelina or musk-hog, may resemble a pig, however, peccaries belong to a completely different family than true pigs. The collared peccary belongs to the Tayassuidae family while pigs belong to the Suidae family.

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Collared Peccary - Pecari tajacu - NatureWorks

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The collared peccary has a pig-like snout, a large head and shoulders and small legs with hoofed feet. It has grizzled gray and brown bristly fur. It has a collar of white or yellowish fur around its neck and small, straight tusks.

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Collared peccary videos, photos and facts - Pecari tajacu | Arkive

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See photos of the Collared peccary on Arkive. The collared peccary is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

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Paca: Paca, (genus Cuniculus), either of two species of South American rodents with piglike bodies, large heads, and swollen cheeks. They have short ears, large eyes, and long whiskers, and their bodies are stout, with large rumps and short limbs. The front feet have four toes, and the hindfeet have

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Mountain paca videos, photos and facts - Cuniculus taczanowskii | Arkive

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See photos of the Mountain paca on Arkive. The mountain paca is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List.

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Sympatric White-lipped Peccary and Collared Peccary - Ecology of Peccaries

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Food habits and habitat preferences of the White-lipped Peccary and Collared Peccary, with emphasis on their differences when living in the same area.

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White-lipped peccaries breed year round, breeding seasons vary among subspecies. However, spring and autumn seem to be the most common time for breeding. Females produce litters that range from 1 to 4 young, usually resulting in twins or occasionally triplets. The birth of just one young is less common.

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White-lipped peccary videos, photos and facts - Tayassu pecari | Arkive

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See videos and photos of the White-lipped peccary on Arkive. The white-lipped peccary is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix II of CITES.

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Lowland tapir videos, photos and facts - Tapirus terrestris | Arkive

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One of the most distinguishing features of tapirs is their long, flexible proboscis, formed from the upper lip and nose, which is used to strip leaves and pluck fruits.. This bristly-coated tapir...

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Get to know the unique animal that looks like a pig, sports a small trunk, and is related to horses and rhinoceroses. Learn more about the tapir's life in the forests of South America.

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The Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) or Tiger Cat, is a small spotted felid found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. It is a close relative of the Ocelot and the Margay, and has a rich ochre coat, spotted with black rosettes.

The Oncilla resembles the Margay and the Ocelot, but is smaller, with a slender build and narrower muzzle. It grows to 38 to 59 centimetres (15 to 23 in) long, plus a 20 to 42 centimetres (7.9 to 17 in) tail. While this is somewhat longer than the average domestic cat, Leopardus tigrinus is generally lighter, weighing 1.5 to 3 kilograms (3.3 to 6.6 lb).

The fur is thick and soft, ranging from light brown to dark ochre, with numerous dark rosettes across the back and flanks. The underside is pale with dark spots and the tail is ringed. The backs of the ears are black with bold ocelli. The rosettes are black or brown, open in the center, and irregularly shaped. The legs have medium-sized spots tapering to smaller spots near the paws. This coloration helps the oncilla blend in with the mottled sunlight of the tropical forest understory. The Oncilla's jaw is shortened, with fewer teeth, but with well-developed carnassials and canines. Some melanistic oncillas have been reported from the more heavily forested parts of its range.

The Oncilla is a nocturnal animal,but in areas such as Caatinga, where their main food source consists of diurnal lizards, they are more likely to be active during the day. They also on hunt rodents, birds, small mammals, eggs, invertebrates, and the occasional tree frog. Occasionally, the cat will eat grasses. The Oncilla stalks its prey from a distance, and once in range, it pounces to catch and kill. Young oncillas have been observed to purr, while adults are known to make short, gurgling calls when close to one another.

The Oncilla is a primarily terrestrial animal, but is also an adept climber. This species shows a strong preference for montane forest, and are usually found in elevations higher than those of the margay or ocelot. They have been found in habitats as high as 4500m in Colombia, in the Andean highlands in Ecuador, and in the subtropical forest highlands in Brazil. They have also been identified in cerrado and scrubland environments. They are typically distributed from Costra Rica through Northern Argentina and have been recorded in northern Panama, but the remainder of the country appears to be a gap in the species' range.
The following are the currently recognized subspecies:

1. Leopardus tigrinus tigrinus, eastern Venezuela, Guyana, northeastern Brazil

2. Leopardus tigrinus guttulus, central and southern Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, northern Argentina

3. Leopardus tigrinus oncilla, Central America

4. Leopardus tigrinus pardinoides, western Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador

Oncillas reach sexual maturity at around two to two and a half years of age. Estrus lasts from 3 to 9 days, with older cats having shorter cycles.Oncillas produce 1 to 3 kittens (usually only one), after a gestation of 74 to 76 days.The kittens' eyes open after eight to seventeen days, an unusually long period for a cat of this size. Unlike other cats, in which the incisor teeth tend to appear first, the teeth of an oncilla kitten erupt more or less simultaneously, at around 21 days of age. The kittens do not begin to take solid food until they are 38 to 56 days old (much older than in the domestic cat), but are fully weaned at three months. They have a life span of about 11 years in the wild, but there are records of these cats reaching an age of 17 years. There are a few oncillas in captivity in North America, and a few in zoos in Europe and South America. In captivity, the Oncilla tends to have high infant mortality rate.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the oncilla as vulnerable. The chief threats to these felines are deforestation and poaching. Oncillas are killed for their pelts, which are highly prized and often sold or made into clothing. Reports in 1972 and 1982 in South America showed that the Oncilla is one of the four most heavily hunted of all the small cats. Another factor contributing to Oncilla mortality is human expansion, settling what was once open terrain for wild cats. Coffee plantations are most often established in cloud forest habitats, causing the reduction of preferred habitats.

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Tiger Cat / Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) - Wild Cats Magazine

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The Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) or Tiger Cat, is a small spotted felid found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. It is a close relative of the Ocelot and the Margay, and has a rich ochre coat, spotted with black rosettes. The Oncilla resembles the Margay and the Ocelot, but is smaller, with ...

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Oncilla videos, photos and facts - Leopardus tigrinus | Arkive

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See videos and photos of the Oncilla on Arkive. Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and listed on Appendix I of CITES. Subspecies: Leopardus tigrinus oncilla is classified as...

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Ocelot videos, photos and facts - Leopardus pardalis | Arkive

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The largest of the small spotted cats, the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is one of the best known and most common cat species in its range, and also arguably one of the most beautiful. The short...

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Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat.

These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds. Unlike many cats, they do not avoid water and can swim well.

Like other cats, ocelots are adapted for eating meat. They have pointed fangs used to deliver a killing bite, and sharp back teeth that can tear food like scissors. Ocelots do not have teeth appropriate for chewing, so they tear their food to pieces and swallow it whole. Their raspy tongues can clean a bone of every last tasty morsel.

Many ocelots live under the leafy canopies of South American rain forests, but they also inhabit brushlands and can be found as far north as Texas. These cats can adapt to human habitats and are sometimes found in the vicinity of villages or other settlements.

Ocelots' fine fur has made them the target of countless hunters, and in many areas they are quite rare, including Texas, where they are endangered. Ocelots are protected in the United States and most other countries where they live.

Female ocelots have litters of two or three darkly colored kittens. In northern locations females den in the autumn, while in tropical climes the breeding season may not be fixed.

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Twice the size of the average house cat, the ocelot is a sleek animal with a gorgeous dappled coat. These largely nocturnal cats use keen sight and hearing to hunt rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, and frogs. They also take to the trees and stalk monkeys or birds.

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Bush dog is a small mammal that belongs to the family of dogs. There are three subspecies of bush dog that can be found in Central and South America. Bush dog can survive in various types of habitats that provide enough water.

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Bush Dog - Speothos venaticus : WAZA : World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

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The bush dog is a cooperative hunter of the Neotropical rainforest, feeding mainly on rodents that are large relative to its own size. It is social and, for intraspecific communication mainly employs short-distance signals, which promote approach behaviour (tail-wagging), reduce intraspecific aggression (displays of active submission), and allow the maintenance of constant contact in the forest (the squeak vocalization).

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Bush dog videos, photos and facts - Speothos venaticus | Arkive

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The bush dog is a rare, little known and unusual canid. It has a rather squat body and is said to look more like a mustelid (the family of badgers and otters) than a member of the dog family. It is...

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Puma videos, photos and facts - Puma concolor | Arkive

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Other than man, the large, slender puma (Puma concolor) has the greatest natural distribution of any terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. The puma, also known as the cougar, mountain...

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This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a panther, puma, mountain lion, and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests.

Cougars like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons. They usually hunt at night or during the gloaming hours of dawn and dusk. These cats employ a blend of stealth and power, stalking their prey until an opportunity arrives to pounce, then going for the back of the neck with a fatal bite. They will hide large carcasses and feed on them for several days.

Population Decline and Rebound

Cougars once roamed nearly all of the United States. They were prized by hunters and despised by farmers and ranchers who suffered livestock losses at their hands. Subsequently, by the dawn of the 20th century, cougars were eliminated from nearly all of their range in the Midwest and Eastern U.S.-though the endangered Florida panther survives.

Today, whitetail deer populations have rebounded over much of the cougar's former range and a few animals have appeared in more eastern states such as Missouri and Arkansas. Some biologists believe that these big cats could eventually recolonize much of their Midwest and Eastern range-if humans allow them to do so. In most western U.S. states and Canadian provinces, populations are considered sustainable enough to allow managed sport hunting.

Cougars require a lot of room-only a few cats can survive in a 30-square-mile range. They are solitary and shy animals, seldom seen by humans. While they do occasionally attack people-usually children or solitary adults-statistics show that, on average, there are only four attacks and one human fatality each year in all of the U.S. and Canada.

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This powerful predator roams the Americas, where it is also known as a panther, puma, mountain lion, and catamount. This big cat of many names is also found in many habitats, from Florida swamps to Canadian forests. Cougars like to prey on deer, though they also eat smaller animals such as coyotes, porcupines, and raccoons.

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iucn red list - lower risk / near threatened

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Jaguar videos, photos and facts - Panthera onca | Arkive

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The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat of the Americas and a formidable predator. Its common name comes from the native Indian name 'yaguara', meaning 'a beast that kills its prey with one...

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Scientific Name:

Panthera onca

Average Life Span In The Wild:

12 to 15 years

Size:

Head and body, five to six feet; tail, 27.5 to 36 inches

Weight:

100 to 250 pounds

Size relative to a 6-ft man:

What is the jaguar?

Jaguars are the only big cat in the Americas and the third biggest in the world after tigers and lions. They look a lot like leopards, which live in Africa and Asia, but jaguars' spots are more complex and often have a dot in the center.

These powerful cats were worshipped as gods in many ancient South American cultures, and representations of the jaguar show up in the art and archaeology of pre-Columbian cultures across the jaguar's range.

Diet and behavior

Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water. In fact, they are quite good swimmers. They hunt fish, turtles, and even caimans, using their incredibly powerful jaws to pierce the animals' skulls. Jaguars also eat deer, peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, and a number of other land animals, which they prefer to ambush at night.

Jaguars live alone, and they're territorial-they define their area by marking with their waste or clawing trees.

Females have litters of one to four cubs, which are blind and helpless at birth. The mother stays with them and defends them fiercely from any animal that may approach-even their own father. Young jaguars learn to hunt by living with their mothers for two years or more.

Range and habitat

Jaguars once roamed broadly from central Argentina all the way up to the southwestern United States. Since the 1880s, they've lost more than half their territory. Their main stronghold today is the Amazon Basin, though they still exist in smaller numbers through Central America as well.

They're typically found in tropical rainforests but also live in savannas and grasslands.

Threats to survival

Jaguars face a number of threats, including habitat fragmentation and illegal killing. South and Central America's high rates of deforestation- for grazing land, agriculture, and other uses -have not only destroyed jaguars' habitat but also broken it up. Fragmented forests mean that cats get boxed into patches of forest and can't travel far to find new mates. That kind of isolation can lead to inbreeding and local extinctions.

Another threat jaguars face is retaliatory killings from ranchers. As grazing land replaces forests, jaguars are more likely to hunt cattle. In response-and sometimes in anticipation-cattle owners kill jaguars.

Poaching is another growing problem for jaguars. They've long been hunted for their pelts, and now there's a growing illegal, international trade in jaguar teeth and jaguar bone products going to China.

Conservation

Jaguars are classified as near-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The species has national protections in almost every country it's found, and trade in its parts is banned by CITES, a global treaty that regulates the cross-border wildlife trade. Still, poaching and the illegal trade continues so strengthening law enforcement is important.

There are major efforts to support and develop jaguar corridors to connect isolated populations as well as to work with ranchers to reduce human-jaguar conflict. Workshops help ranchers learn better husbandry practices, and a growing number of programs compensate ranchers when they lose cattle to jaguars, so that they're less motivated to kill the cat in retaliation.

Fighting deforestation, which a number of international NGOs and indigenous groups are involved in, is critical.

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Scientific Name: Panthera onca Average Life Span In The Wild: 12 to 15 years Size: Head and body, five to six feet; tail, 27.5 to 36 inches Weight: 100 to 250 pounds Size relative to a 6-ft man: Jaguars are the only big cat in the Americas and the third biggest in the world after tigers and lions.