Giant peccary
| Giant peccary | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  (disputed) | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Tayassuidae |
| Genus: | Pecari |
| Species: | P. maximus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pecari maximus Roosmalen et al., 2007
| |
The giant peccary (Pecari maximus) was a purported fourth species of peccary, first reported to have been seen in Brazil in 2000 by Dutch naturalist Marc van Roosmalen. In 2003 German natural history filmmaker Lothar Frenz and he filmed a group and gathered material which later served as the type. Though recently reported, it had been known to locals as caitetú-mundè, which Roosmalen et al. state the locals claimed was Tupí and meant "the collared peccary that is bigger and goes in pairs", as opposed to caitetú-de-bando, "the collared peccary that goes in herds". It was formally described in 2007,[1] but the scientific evidence for its species status was quickly questioned,[2][3] which also was one of the reasons for its initial evaluation as data deficient by IUCN in 2008.[4] A review in 2011 moved the giant peccary into synonymy with the collared peccary (P. tajacu),[5] which was followed by the IUCN the same year.[6]
Distribution
The reported range of the giant peccary encompass the south-central Amazon between the Madeira and the Tapajós Rivers and northern Bolivia.[7] It is restricted to terra firme forest, which is forest which does not flood annually. Unlike other peccaries in its range, the giant peccary was reported to mainly occur in pairs or small family groups.[1]
Appearance and taxonomy
According to its original description, the giant peccary is larger, longer-legged, and proportionally smaller-headed than the only other member of the genus, the collared peccary.[1] Compared to most individuals of the sympatric populations of the collared peccary, the giant peccary also had thinner fur that is grizzled in brown and white, blacker legs, and a relatively faint collar. Five skins of the giant peccary had a total length of 120–137 cm (47–54 in), while local hunters have estimated a weight of 40–50 kg (88–110 lb). Based on a mtDNA study, the collared and the giant peccaries were estimated to have diverged 1.0–1.2 million years ago,[1] but these results were later questioned due to the small sample size, low bootstrap support, and the absence of nDNA and cytogenetic results.[2][6]
In 2011, a review noted that the measurements provided in the initial description were within those generally recognized for the collared peccary, and the behaviors supposedly unique to the giant peccary are also known from the collared peccary.[5] They also provided new genetic evidence showing that collared peccaries from South America form a monophyletic clade that includes the giant peccary (without it the clade is paraphyletic). The major genetic split within the collared peccary is between a clade comprising North and Central American specimens, and a clade comprising South American specimens (the presumed contact zone is in Colombia, which has both clades).[5] Furthermore, extensive infraspecific variations (both individual and locality-based) are known in the morphology of the collared peccary.[2][6]
References
- ^ a b c d Roosmalen, M.G.M.; Frenz, L.; Hooft, W.F. van; Iongh, H.H. de; Leirs, H. 2007. A New Species of Living Peccary (Mammalia: Tayassuidae) from the Brazilian Amazon. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 55(2): 105–112.
- ^ a b c Gongora, J., Taber, A., Keuroghlian, A., Altrichter, M., Bodmer, R.E., Mayor, P., Moran, C., Damayanti, C.S., González S. (2007). Re-examining the evidence for a ‘new’ peccary species, Pecari maximus, from the Brazilian Amazon. Newsletter of the Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos Specialist Group of the IUCN/SSC. 7(2): 19–26.
- ^ Trials of a Primatologist. – smithsonianmag.com. Accessed March 15, 2008
- ^ Gongora, J. (2008). "Pecari maximus". Retrieved 25 November 2008.
- ^ a b c Gongora, J., Biondo, C., Cooper, J.D., Taber, A., Keuroghlian, A., Altrichter, M., Ferreira do Nascimento, F., Chong, A.Y., Miyaki, C.Y., Bodmer, R., Mayor, P. and González, S. (2011). Revisiting the species status of Pecari maximus van Roosmalen et al., 2007 (Mammalia) from the Brazilian Amazon. Bonn Zoological Bulletin 60(1): 95-101.
- ^ a b c Gongora, J.; Reyna-Hurtado, R.; Beck, H.; Taber, A.; Altrichter, M. & Keuroghlian, A. (2011). "Pecari tajacu". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T41777A10562361. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T41777A10562361.en.
- ^ Moravec, J., & Böhme, W. (2009). Second Find of the Recently Discovered Amazonian Giant Peccary, Pecari maximus (Mammalia: Tayassuidae) van Roosmalen et al., 2007: First Record from Bolivia Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 56(1-2): 49-54.
External links
- "Big Pig-Like Beast Discovered" from LiveScience.
- Forscher entdecken neuen Großsäuger, GEO magazine (in German)
- Info on the recently discovered Giant Peccary