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COLLARED PECCARY
 BIOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLARED PECCARY
TAXONOMY
CLASS: MAMMALIA
ORDER: ARTIODACTILA
FAMILY: TAYASSUIDAE
GENUS: Pecari
SPECIES: tajacu
THEY CAN MEASURE UP TO 50 cm. HIGH, AND 1 m LONG, THEY ARE SIMILAR TO THE PIGS IN APPEARANCE. THEIR HAIR IS BLACK WITH A WHITE STRIPE AT SHOULDER LEVEL. THEY HAVE SPINY HAIR IN THE MIDDLE SUPERIOR PART OF THE BODY. MALES AND FEMALES ARE SIMILAR IN COLOR BUT MALES ARE HEAVIER (INGMARSSON, 1995). THEY CAN WEIGH UP TO 40 kg. THEY HAVE A GLAND COMMONLY CALLED NAVEL IN THE SUPERIOR BACK PART OF THE BACK THAT PRODUCES SMELLY LIQUIDS TO MARK THEIR TERRITORY.
THEY CAN RUN UP TO 25 MILES PER HOUR, THEY HAVE A GREAT SENSE OF SMELL THAT HELPS THEM FIND THEIR ENEMIES. THEY COMMUNICATE BY MAKING SOUNDS BY OPENING AND CLOSING THEIR MOUTHS.
THEY DISTRIBUTE IN THE NEARCTIC REGIONS AND NEOTROPICAL IN THEIR DIFFERENT SUBSPECIES THEY CAN BE FOUND FROM THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE UNITED STATES: ARIZONA, TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO, MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA TO THE NORTHEAST PART OF ARGENTINA. (BELLANTONI, 1991)
THEY HAVE VERY VARIED HABITS FOR THEY CAN BE FOUND IN THE DESERT TO THE JUNGLES OF SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA. IN THE STUDY AREA THEY ARE FOUND IN THE DURANGUENSE SEMIDESERT.
PECCARIES ARE MAINLY HERBIVOROUS EATING FROM ROOTS, BULBES, FRUITS, MUSHROOMS, NUTS AND OCCASIONALLY EGGS, SNAKES, FISH, FROGS, GRASS, CACTUS, SOME SPECIES OF AGAVES (BISSONETTE, 1982)
PECCARIES DON'T HAVE AN ESTABLISHED REPRODUCTION SEASON, THEY CAN MATE ANY SEASON OF THE YEAR. MALES ARE POLIGAMIST AND THERE EXISTS THE DOMINANCE OF THESE OVER THE YOUNGER ONES. GESTATION IS OF 141 TO 151 DAYS AND GENERALLY THERE ARE FROM 1 TO 3 PIGS AND RARELY 4. THE WEANING OCCURS AT THE 2 TO 3 MONTHS. MALES MATURE SEXUALLY AT THEIR 11 MONTHS OLD AND FEMALES AT THEIR 8 TO 14 MONTHS OLD. (HALL, 1981)
THE MAIN DEPREDATORS OF THE PECCARIES ARE THE COYOTES, PUMAS, JAGUARS, BOBCATS AND HUMANS FOR ONLY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, IN THE UNITED STATES 20,000 PECCARIES ARE HUNTED YEARLY.
SPECIES DATA
COMMON NAME: COLLARED PECCARY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Tayassu tajacu
TYPE OF GAIN: CINEGETIC
TYPE OF MARKING: HUNTING LICENSE
BIOLOGICAL EVENTS OF THE COLLARED PECCARY
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EVENT
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J
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F
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M
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A
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M
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J
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J
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A
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S
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O
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N
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D
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MOUNTING
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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GIVE BIRTH
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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WEANING
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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MATURIRY
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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