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Collared peccary

At the Detroit Zoo
Male collared peccaries Kermit, Fozzy, Rizzo, Grampy and Arnold were all born at the Detroit Zoo. The animals share their American Grasslands habitat with the guanacos west of the Ford Education Center.

Description
The collared peccary has a close resemblance to a domestic pig.  It has a large head, skinny legs and coarse, dark fur.  It is tan or brownish in color with a red dorsal stripe.

Scientific name: Pecari tajacu
Continent: Southwest regions of North America, South America
Habitat: The collared peccary is able to live in a variety of environments such as deserts, arid woodlands, oak woodlands and tropical rainforests.
Size: 3 feet long from nose to tail
Weight: 35-60 pounds
Diet: The collared peccary is an herbivore, feeding on an assortment of food including bulbs, tubers, prickly pear cactus fruit, grass, acorns and insects.
Reproduction: Gestation five months; two offspring
Lifespan: 7-8 years in the wild; up to 24 years in captivity
Conservation Status: Least Concern

 

 

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FUN FACTS

The collared peccary is sometimes called a “musk hog” because of a strong odor that secretes from musk glands near the rump and eyes.

It is also called “javelina”, Spanish for javelin, because of its armor-like tusks, used for defense.