Above: Pecari maximus photo courtesy of Mark Van Roosmalen and Copyright by Roland Gockel

Nature is constantly amazing us with new discoveries. Recent news in the animal world is that a new species of peccary has been “discovered” by Dutch scientist Marc van Roosmalen.

Pecari maximus is about the size of a large dog. It is a distinct species, new to science but known to locals and hunted regulary. This makes the fourth species known to man.

Above: Pecari maximus photo courtesy of Mark Van Roosmalen and Copyright by Roland Gockel

This species is different from other species in that it is found in pairs or small family groups in contrast to other species of this type of animal–although they may also travel in larger herds for protection.

Read more about the pecari maximus here

Read the official report on pecari maximus here (PDF)

The peccary is closely related to swine and the hippopotamus but belong to the pig family from the New World (Tayassuidae). Until recently,only three other peccaries were known. These include the collared peccary, the white-lipped peccary and the Chaccoan peccary.

The giant peccary eats mainly fruit and exhibits little or no rooting behaviour. The habitat of the giant peccary is limited to dry wooded areas in a small region of the basin of the Rio Aripuanã.

The researchers expect the giant peccary population to be small and recommend that this new species should be placed on the Red List of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).