Editing Peccary (section)

{{Short description|Family of mammals belonging to even-toed ungulates}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Peccaries
| taxon = Tayassuidae
| authority = [[Theodore Sherman Palmer|Palmer]], 1897
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Early Miocene|Present}}
| image = Collared peccary02 - melbourne zoo.jpg
| image_caption = [[Collared peccary]], ''Dicotyles tajacu''
| type_genus = ''[[Tayassu]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim|Waldheim]], 1814
| subdivision_ranks = Extant and subfossil genera
| subdivision = *''[[Tayassu]]''
*''[[Catagonus]]''
*''[[Dicotyles]]''
*{{extinct}}''[[Mylohyus]]''
*{{extinct}}''[[Platygonus]]''
| range_map = Peccary range.png
| range_map_caption = Range of the peccaries
| synonyms = Dicotylidae
}}

'''Peccaries''' (also '''javelinas''' or '''skunk pigs''') are [[pig]]-like [[ungulate]]s of the family '''Tayassuidae''' (New World pigs). They are found throughout [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]], [[Trinidad]] in the [[Caribbean]], and in the [[southwestern]] area of [[North America]]. Peccaries usually measure between {{cvt|90|and|130|cm|ftin|0}} in length, and a full-grown adult usually weighs about {{cvt|20|to|40|kg|lb}}. They represent the closest relatives of the family [[Suidae]], which contains pigs and relatives. Together Tayassuidae and Suidae are grouped in the suborder [[Suina]] within the order [[Artiodactyla]] ([[even-toed ungulates]]).

Peccaries are social creatures that live in herds. They are [[omnivore]]s and eat roots, grubs, and a variety of other foods. They can identify each other by their strong odors. A group of peccaries that travel and live together is called a squadron. A squadron of peccaries averages between six and nine members.<ref>Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona - informational web site at https://www.nps.gov/opi/learn/nature/javelina.htm</ref>

Peccaries first appeared in North America during the [[Miocene]] and migrated into South America during the [[Pliocene]]–[[Pleistocene]] as part of the [[Great American Interchange]].

When the two occur in the wild in similar [[species distribution|ranges]], they are often confused<ref name="Miller1988">{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=George Oxford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qJGZJviEtqYC |title=A Field Guide to Wildlife in Texas and the Southwest |date=October 1988 |publisher=Texas Monthly Press |isbn=978-0-87719-126-1 |pages=61–64 |chapter=The Javelina - Prickly Pear Gourmand |quote=many people confuse them with domestic pigs gone wild |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetowild0000mill/page/61}}</ref> with [[Feral pig|feral domestic pigs]], commonly known as "razorback" hogs in many parts of the United States.<ref name="WoodwardQuinn2011">{{cite book |author1=Susan L. Woodward |author2=Joyce A. Quinn |title=Encyclopedia of Invasive Species: From Africanized Honey Bees to Zebra Mussels |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KOGfKRZ0YFIC&pg=PA277 |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-38220-8 |page=277}}</ref>

The [[Maya peoples|Maya]] kept herds of peccaries, using them in rituals and for food.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dillon |first1=Brian B. |title=Meatless Maya? Ethnoarchaeological Implications for Ancient Subsistence |journal=Journal of New World Archeology |date=1988 |volume=7 |page=60}}</ref> They are kept as pets in many countries in addition to being raised on [[farm]]s as a source of food.<ref>[http://pigtrop.cirad.fr/subjects/genetic_and_biodiversity/commercial_farming_of_collared_peccary "Commercial farming of collared peccary: A Large-scale commercial farming of collared peccary (''Tayassu tajacu'') in North-Eastern Brazil"]. Pigtrop.cirad.fr (2007-04-30). Retrieved on 2012-12-18.</ref>