25.10.2019
Bakers are animals. Collar bakers. Pictured is a Czech peccary pig
Therefore, until recently they were considered as such, but now they belong to the non-ruminant family. artiodactyl mammals.
However, it is possible that biologists will once again reconsider their position regarding classification, since pig peccary in fact, they have a lot in common with ruminants.
It is generally accepted that bakers are the indigenous inhabitants of the New World, but this is not so. The remains of their ancestors are often found in Western Europe, which suggests that in the Old World these amazing animals either died out or assimilated with.
Features and habitat of peccary pigs
Pig peccary photo- and telegenic animals. Noticing a person with a video camera or a photo lens, they take a serious look, stop, literally posing for the filming.
These live amazing creatures on the American continent, they can be found in reserves in the southwestern United States, in South America along the entire coast Pacific Ocean, in the west of Argentina, in Ecuador and in almost every corner of Mexico. Bakers are completely unpretentious to the climate and almost omnivorous, which is why their habitat is so wide.
Today, four species of these wild pigs are known to people, and two of them were rediscovered in the twentieth century, in the process of developing tropical forested lands and savannah wastelands, and before that were considered extinct.
Today scientists know wild pigs bakers such types:
- Collared.
They are the only bakers living in the US. The uniqueness of the species is that on the sacral part of the back of adult animals there are special glands of additional secretion.
Collared pigs live in herds of 5-15 individuals, are very social, closely interconnected with each other and friendly. They have a white or yellow "collar" in color, thanks to which they got their name.
They love to eat very much, preferring to feast on mushrooms, berries, bulbs, green bean shoots and, oddly enough, cacti. However, they are omnivorous and will never pass by carrion - the corpses of frogs or snakes, the decaying carcasses of larger animals, or a nest with eggs. They grow up to half a meter at the withers and up to a meter in length, with an average weight of 20-25 kg.
In the photo, the peccary pig is collared
- White-bearded.
They live mainly in Mexico, large, strong beasts organized into herds of up to hundreds of heads. They got their name because of the bright light spot under the lower jaw.
Herds constantly roam, not staying longer than three days even in the most suitable places for them. This is due to the fact that although white-bearded peccaries are omnivores, they prefer to eat carrion, which they are looking for.
Pictured is a white-bearded peccary pig
- Chaksky or, as they are also called, Wagner bakers.
These animals are listed in the Red Book. Considered extinct for a long time, they were described by biologists based on Western Europe fossils. And they were again found alive in 1975 while laying a power line in Paraguay.
The species is difficult to observe and study, since its habitat is the forests of the Gran Chaco, that is, a wild virgin territory affecting three states - Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay.
The main observations of these peccaries are carried out in places with semi-arid forest and forest-steppe, and, on this moment, zoologists have reliably determined only that these animals love to eat thorns and are very shy, preferring to hide behind boulders or in other shelters as soon as they notice they are being observed.
Pictured is a Czech peccary pig
- Gigantius, or giant.
This species has not been studied at all. It was accidentally rediscovered in 2000, during intensive deforestation in Brazil. Fossils similar to the giant peccary have often been excavated in Europe, but whether those remains and the accidentally discovered animals are the same species is not yet known.
The nature and lifestyle of bakers
Basically, all data about these animals, such as characteristics, description of wild pig peccary, obtained from observations of the life of collared pigs in reserves throughout the United States.
Bakers prefer evening and night image life, hear perfectly and have a highly developed sense of smell. They are very social, live in herds, and with a very strict hierarchy.
The dominance of the leader is not disputed, as well as his exclusive right to fertilize females. If any of the males decides to question the qualities of the leader of the herd, then no fight or fights take place. The doubting male just simply leaves and collects his own herd.
As for character, the bakers for a long time were considered shy animals. However, in the middle of the twentieth century, there was a wave of fashion for keeping wild animals as pets.
And the more unusual the favorite was, the better it was. This hobby destroyed the myth about the fearfulness of bakers, allowing us to assert that these wild ones are very sociable, peaceful and extremely curious.
Today, these animals can be found in many zoos, where they feel great and are, if not stars, then favorites of visitors. In addition, there are bakers in several Canadian circuses, in which dressing and performances are based on the principle of "big top".
Reproduction and life span of bakers
Bakers do not have any specific time for mating. Sexual contacts between females and the leader of the herd occur in almost the same way as in humans - at any time.
If the female becomes pregnant, then her delicate position lasts from 145 to 150 days. Peccaries prefer to give birth in a secluded place or in a hole, but always alone.
A pair of piglets is usually born, very rarely more. The babies get up on their feet already on the second day of their lives, and as soon as this happens, they return with their mother to the rest of their relatives.
Bakers live differently, under favorable conditions - the absence natural enemies, nutritional adequacy and good health- up to 25 years. However, not so long ago, in a Thai zoo, bakers celebrated their thirtieth birthday, while being in good physical shape.
Pictured are peccary pigs with cubs
According to the observations of zoologists and naturalists, pig baker's South America rarely lives up to 20 years, dying on average at 15-17. Whether this is due to the variety or to some other reasons, scientists have not yet figured out.
Food bakers
Bakers are very fond of eating, watching them, you can see that they constantly chew something, and often have a snack in the process of migration, on the go, just like people. These animals are omnivorous - they can pinch grass, eat bean shoots, eat mushrooms, or drive away vultures and eat the carcass of a dead animal.
Such a variety of culinary preferences is due to the structure of their stomachs and teeth. the stomach of a wild pig peccary has three sections, the very first of which, in addition, nature has equipped with a pair of "blind" bags.
And in the mouth of each animal there are 38 teeth, with well-developed hind teeth, grinding food and with powerful trihedral fangs in front, completely the same as in any predator.
Many biologists believe that once bakers were not only content with carrion and pasture, but also hunted. Now, fangs are used only to protect against natural enemies - and, and to tear the flesh of large carrion.
Summarizing the story of these unfamiliar to a person, amazing animals, it is necessary to mention the history of the name - pigs bakers, why are they called that no less interesting than they are.
When the Europeans-discoverers mastered the American continent, they encountered a fairly contact and friendly Indian tribe "Tupi", whose descendants still live in modern Brazil.
Seeing a group of unusual animals in the distance, the Portuguese began to point at them, shouting "Pigs, wild pigs," and the Indians picked up a word that sounded to the ears of Europeans like "Bakers."
After some time, it became known that “bakers” were not one word, but several, and this phrase is translated as “a beast doing many forest paths”, which describes the peccary pigs in an amazingly beautiful and accurate way.
Another representative of the rarest creatures of our planet is the white-bearded baker. Another name for this animal is the white-lipped peccary.
Scientists have been fighting for many years to ensure that this species does not completely disappear from the face of the Earth, whether they succeed or not - you will find out now, and we will also tell you in more detail about who the bakers are and where they are lives.
Habitats of bakers on our planet
The territory of distribution of these unusual animals was the continents of North and South America. So, for example, white-lipped peccaries are found in the northwestern, central and eastern parts of South America up to Argentina. In addition, some of these animals live in Ecuador and Mexico.
Appearance of a white-bearded peccary
Looking at this animal for the first time, you might think that you have a domestic pig in front of you. However, this is not entirely true, although bakers are similar in appearance to pigs, from the point of view of science they belong to a completely different family (peccary).
The peccary has a large head, the muzzle has an elongated shape. The limbs are short. The weight that these animals reach is from 24 to 42 kilograms. The body grows in length to a maximum of a meter. The tail of these pig-like creatures is very small, its length barely reaches 5.5 centimeters.
The white-lipped peccary is a native of the Americas. The coat color of white-lipped peccaries varies with age. Adults are dark brown in color, while younger peccaries have a reddish to brown coat.
Lifestyle of bakers and their behavior in nature
Settled in a fairly vast territory, bakers are accustomed to living in different areas. They feel equally comfortable in both rainforests and deserts. There are white-bearded peccaries in arid forest areas. To hide from enemies, bakers use limestone caves or large boulders.
These animals cannot be called sedentary: in search of new places of food, they constantly migrate from one territory to another. Moreover, bakers stay in one place for no more than a day.
They live in herds, sometimes numbering 200 individuals. At the head of this community is the oldest female leader. large cluster helps animals to better protect themselves and their offspring from the attack of enemies. And the worst opponents of bakers in nature are considered and.
These animals show activity, for the most part, in the dark, although they are also awake during the day.
peccary family
(Tayassuidae)*
* The foliar family is an analogue of pigs in the New World. The upper fangs point downwards. The tail is short, almost invisible from the outside, the stomach has 3 sections. The bones of the metacarpus and metatarsus fuse, on the hind legs - only 3 fingers (the outer one disappears).
hallmarks bakers serve teeth, of which there are 38, four incisors on the top and six on mandible, four fangs and six molars on each side of both jaws. The fangs are not twisted upward and do not pierce the upper lip. The body is short, the head and snout are also short, the end of the snout is pointed, the ears are small, narrow, with a blunt tip; the hind legs do not have a small outer hoof, so they have only three hooves. The tail is poorly developed, there is a special gland on the back of the back, and the female has only two nipples.
Collared peccary(Tayassu tajaeu). This is a small pig with a short head and a blunt muzzle, however, the physique is rather slender. Long dense bristles at the base of a dark brown color, then yellow and black alternate in an annular fashion; at the end, the bristles are again blackish-brown. Between the ears and in the middle of the back, it lengthens without forming a mane. General color animal is dark brown, turning on the sides into yellowish-brown, mixed with white. The belly is also brown, the chest is white in front, a whitish-yellow, rather wide stripe descends from the shoulders. From the dorsal gland constantly flows a liquid with a strong odor, which, apparently, the animals really like, since they often mutually rub their noses against the gland.
Another kind - white-lipped, or white-bearded, bakers(Tayassu pecan) is noticeably larger than the previous one, has a length of 1.1 m, including a poorly developed tail of 5 cm, with a height of 40 ^ 5 cm at the shoulders. It differs sharply from another species in a large white spot on the lower jaw and in the general coloration of the body. Thick, coarse, ribbed bristles very rarely cover the body, except for the back, starting from the back of the head, where it is somewhat longer. The coloration of the body is rather evenly grayish-black, and a bright light spot on the cheeks stands out unusually sharply.
In all woodlands of South America up to 1000 m above sea level, both types of peccaries are common. White-lipped peccaries roam the forests in large herds of several hundred, led by the strongest boars; herds of collared peccaries are smaller and consist of only 10-15 head*.
* Animals mark the boundaries of the site with secretions of specific dorsal and periorbital glands, leaving an odorous liquid that quickly darkens in the air. There are also public "latrines", periodically visited by all members of the clan.
All of them daily change their place of residence, so that their constant wanderings have no end. According to Rengger, you can follow their tracks all day and not see a single one. “In their passages,” he says, “nothing delays them: neither open plains, which they usually avoid, nor water. If they reach open space, then they rush straight to it, but if a river or a stream blocks their path, then they, without hesitation for a minute, rush to swim. I saw them swim across the Paraguay River at a place where it was half an hour wide. During the crossing, a large crowd dominates in the herd. All males swim in front, and mothers with their cubs behind. Already from afar you can hear the approach of the herd, and not only by the muffled sounds that they make, but also by the crackling of the branches of the bushes broken along the way. " Bonpland was once on a botanical excursion with an Indian guide, who suddenly began to ask the naturalist to hide behind a tree, fearing lest a fleeing herd of these swine overturn Bonpland to the ground. Bakers seek their food day and night, and probably the lack of suitable food is the reason that makes them constantly migrate. This food consists of all kinds of tree fruits and roots. Their teeth are so strong , says Schomburgk, that they can crack through the hardest palm seeds.In populated areas, they break into plantations and devastate fields.It is said that in addition to plant food devour snakes, lizards, worms and caterpillars**.
* * In tropical forests, fallen fruits form the basis of the baker's diet. Herds of peccaries even accompany flocks of monkeys. picking up abandoned fruits and nuts after them. In the desert area, bakers eat a lot of agaves and cacti, satisfying the need not only for food, but also for water. They clean cacti from thorns, rolling on the ground or holding with a hoof and peeling off the skin with their teeth. Animal food makes up a very small percentage of the diet.
They are similar in movement and temperament to our wild pigs. During the day, they willingly climb into hollows or into holes under the roots. big trees; especially if they are hunted, they hide in such secluded corners ***. External senses are poorly developed, mental capacity limited. Hearing and smell, apparently, are better developed, vision is weak.
* * * Bakers do not dig their holes. For childbirth, females arrange dens in the thickets.
Some travelers tell wonders about the courage of these pigs; calm observers judge them impartially. “Walking,” says Schomburgk, “in one wooded oasis, we heard an unusual noise that could be compared with the noise of a running herd and which seemed to be getting closer. As soon as they saw us, they immediately stopped their wild run, uttered a cry similar to the grunting of our pigs, and set off to flee in the other direction. gnashing my teeth. Struck by such an extraordinary phenomenon that interrupted our silent journey, for the first minute I forgot to shoot and, not hearing the shots of satellites, in order to make up for the missed, I was just about to shoot, when my neighbor, an Indian, snatched my gun from me. This led me in even greater amazement, but soon the riddle was cleared up. main part the herd had already rushed past us, and behind were only the stragglers, then the guns and arrows were raised again and we killed four pigs. Surprisingly, the dogs behaved as calmly as we did, and even lay down on the ground. The Indians told me that it was extremely dangerous to shoot at such a herd, since all the animals scatter in different directions with fright and during such a flight they tear apart everything. Living being that come across them, and destroy everything with their tusks. While the angry herd was rushing past us, my Negro Hamlet, terrified and trembling, stood beside me and confirmed this story, saying that his father was thus killed, having received a mortal wound when he shot at such a fleeing herd. If you shoot at the retarded, then the main part of the herd continues its path without hindrance.
* In fact, bakers are more likely to run away when threatened. A cornered peccary can indeed inflict serious wounds with its fangs. Threatening, he opens his mouth wide. clatters its teeth, raising the fur on its back.
Schomburgk further reports that the hunting of peccaries among the Indians is more common than others, because it is the most profitable. The dogs with which they are hunted are trained in a very special way, and this is all the more necessary because both breeds of these pigs have an irreconcilable enmity towards them. “The training consists in the fact that the dogs, when meeting with the herd, must separate one from the stragglers and detain it until the hunters arrive and kill the animal. As soon as this one is killed, the dogs run after the herd and again separate the other, third, fourth and etc. If the dogs are too hot and throw themselves into the middle of the herd, then almost certain death awaits them, as they remain on the battlefield with their stomachs open. both animals seem to be aware of the danger and follow the herd from afar, preferring to attack the stragglers.Loud cries of joy are heard among the hunters if they manage to drive the herd of peccaries into the river.As soon as the animals get into the water, the Indians run after them and begin to beat them clubs; for this they strike once or twice on the snout; the second blow kills them without fail. The killed pig is calmly left to swim in order to finish off several others with a fatal blow, and when it is no longer possible to kill, they begin to catch the prey.
A. Humboldt and Rengger know nothing about the walking fabulous stories about bakers. “Bakers,” says the latter, “are hunted partly for meat, partly because of the damage they do on plantations. Usually they are searched for with dogs in the forests and killed by shots or blows of a spear. Not at all as dangerous as they said, attack herds of these animals.Some inexperienced hunter, of course, could receive several wounds if he alone dared to go against a large herd; if you hunt with dogs and approach from the side or behind, then the hunter is not in danger, as the animals are in a hurry run away and defend themselves only against small dogs.
The female almost always throws one and very rarely two piglets, which, if not on the first day after birth, then at least very soon after, follow the mother everywhere and do not grunt, but rather bleat like goats. These piglets are easily tamed and, with good care, become real pets*.
* Peccaries breed in the tropics all year round. 1-3 broods per year. Pregnancy lasts 4-5 months. Usually two unusually large (400-800 g) and developed cubs are born. Already from 8 months, females are capable of reproduction, males - from a year.
Collared peccaries are brought to Europe in significant numbers, while white-lipped peccaries are much rarer. Both species tolerate our climate quite well and even breed. With ordinary pig feed, they live with us for several years **.
* * Young peccaries get along easily in captivity, usually several animals are kept in each Indian village. They breed well in zoos. In nature, the average life expectancy is 7-15 years, in captivity they live up to 24 years.
I didn’t notice any special friendship for a person in them: in a close fence, they turn out, on the contrary, to be nasty, quick-tempered, evil and vengeful creatures, which experienced watchmen fear more than major representatives this family.
The skin of the peccary is used for bags and belts, and the meat is eaten by the poor. It is quite tasty, but does not at all look like pork meat. They never have a thick layer of fat, but only a thin layer of rather liquid fat. If the collared peccary was driven for quite a long time before death, then the meat acquires the smell of a branch of the dorsal gland; to avoid this, it should be cut out as soon as possible. In other cases, besides estrus, the slaughtered pig may be allowed to lie in its skin until completely cooled, and the meat does not acquire any unpleasant taste or smell.
Life of animals. - M.: State publishing house of geographical literature. A. Brem. 1958
- Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
- Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placental, higher animals
- Order: Artiodactyla Owen, 1848 = Artiodactyla
- Suborder: Nonruminantia Jaeckel, 1911 = Non-ruminant, porcine
- Family: Tayassuidae Palmer, 1897 = Peccaries, bakers
- Species: Catagonus wagneri Rusconi, 1930 = Chaco peccary
- Genus: Tayassu Fischer, 1814 = Bakers
Family: Tayassuidae Palmer, 1897 = Peccaries, bakers
Outwardly similar to pigs. Body length 75-110 cm, tail length 1.5-5.0 cm (only 6-9 vertebrae in the tail compared to 20-23 in pigs). Relatively short-legged; height at the withers 44-57 cm. Weight 18-50 kg. Forelimbs with 4 fingers, hind limbs with 3 (some fossil species had 2 fingers). The muzzle is relatively shorter than in pigs, with a movable cartilaginous, almost bare patch on which the nostrils open. There are no ossifications in the patch. Both sexes have a specific skin gland on the sacrum. The eyes and ears are small. The ears are rounded, covered with sparse hair. The body is compressed laterally. The tail is almost invisible from the outside. The entire body is covered with bristle-like hair. Coloring hairline dark brown to grey-brown; sometimes a white collar runs around the neck from the shoulders to the throat or is located on the lower jaw and throat White spot. One pair of nipples...
The skull is shortened in the rostral part. Bone auditory drums are heart-shaped. The facial part of the lacrimal bone and the lacrimal opening are absent. Incisal openings are small, rounded. The upper fangs, up to 4 cm long, point down (and not up and out, as in pigs). Their front edge is sharpened sharply by the lower fangs. The third upper incisor is missing. The lower incisors are horizontal and directed forward. Crowns of molars of lophodont type. The 5th finger of the hind limb represents only 
a small remnant of the proximal metatarsus. In the collared peccary, the proximal sections of the metatarsal bones of the III and IV fingers are fused, and in the white-lipped peccary, the same sections of the metatarsal and metacarpal bones of the III and IV fingers are fused. With age, the white-lipped peccary also fuses the distal parts of the metacarpus. The stomach is subdivided into 3 sections, of which the anterior one has two sausage-shaped outgrowths. There is no gallbladder.
The diploid set of chromosomes in the collared peccary is 30. Distributed in North and South America from the states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona south to Central Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Inhabit dry places (collared peccary) or wet rainforests(white-lipped bakers). They keep in small groups of 5-15 (collared peccary) or large herds - up to 50-100 or more heads (white-lipped peccary). Both males and females gather in the same herd. They are active at night and during cool morning and evening hours. Vision is poorly developed, hearing and smell are good. Omnivorous, but prefer plants; do not neglect small terrestrial animals. Polygamous bakers. The mating period is not confined to a specific time. The duration of pregnancy is 140-150 days. Cubs in a single litter during the year 1-4 (usually 2). Sexual maturity occurs at 9-18 months of age. Bakers are hunted for meat (in order for the meat to be edible, the sacral gland is removed). In 1965, only through the city of Iquitoe, 129 thousand skins of collared and 30 thousand skins of white-lipped peccary were exported to Peru.
Bakers are not real pigs.
Outwardly similar to pigs, but they have a number of features that prompted zoologists to distinguish bakers into a special family. For example, the fangs of the upper jaw do not grow up, like in real pigs, but down. There are not four, but three fingers on the hind legs, the stomach is more complex, and there is a large gland on the back. When a baker is excited by something, the wool billows out to expose the gland, and a strong odor spreads around. In dense thickets, near water and in shallow places in water, iron leaves its specific “aroma” on branches and reeds, which serves as a guiding thread for other bakers. So placing it on the back is fully justified by life in the swamps: the higher the odorous marks are, the better they will be preserved, the water will not flood them in the flood.
Collared peccary. The white-lipped peccary also lives in Mexico and South America. Bakers are similar to pigs and are close to them by blood, but differ, for example, in that their upper fangs do not grow up, but down.
Two types of peccaries: collared (with a wide yellowish stripe in the form of a collar on the shoulders) distributed from the south of the USA to Argentina, and white-lipped peccaries, larger and living in more numerous herds in the forests of America - from Mexico to Paraguay.
Collared peccary(Pecari tajacu)
Class - mammals
Detachment - artiodactyls
Suborder - non-ruminants
Family - bakery
Genus - bakers
Appearance
The height at the shoulders is from 30 to 50 cm. The body length is 80-100 cm. The weight is 15-25 kg. Collared peccaries are often confused with pigs due to their resemblance. The coat is greyish in color almost all over the body, with the exception of the cheeks, where the coat has a yellowish color, and a whitish-yellow collar that covers the mane, shoulders and neck. There is no sexual dimorphism. Juveniles are yellowish-brown and black stripe on the back. Collared peccaries have short, straight, sharp fangs on their muzzle, which with every movement of the jaw are capable of inflicting severe injuries. On the sacrum are special dorsal glands that are unique to this species. Of the sense organs, smell and hearing are most well developed, vision is rather poor.
Habitat
Collared peccaries are common in New Mexico, Texas, Arizona in the USA, in most of Mexico and Central America, in the Amazon basin, the Pacific coastal forests of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the lowland forests of Venezuela and Guiana, in Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil, where the range is becoming increasingly fragmented, and in the north of Argentina.
In nature
Collared peccaries have very tight social relations. They live in herds that number from 5 to 15 animals. Herd members feed and sleep together. Sometimes old and sick individuals may move away from the rest, preferring to die alone. There is a certain hierarchy in the herd. Males always dominate, the position of the remaining members is determined mainly by body size. The sex ratio is almost the same. The herds are permanent, with little mixing between neighboring groups. The area of the territory belonging to one herd ranges from 6 to 1,260 hectares. Territory marking is carried out with the help of feces and secretions of spinal glands. Both males and females are very jealous of their territory. If a fight breaks out between bakers, they begin to bite each other and beat with fangs. Two members of the same herd greet each other, rubbing themselves from head to rump. The lifestyle of collared peccaries is very much affected by the ambient temperature.
Collared peccaries are herbivorous animals with a complex stomach structure, which is necessary for the digestion of rough food. In the southern part of the range, peccaries feed on a variety of foods, including roots, bulbs, nuts, mushrooms, and may occasionally eat eggs, carrion, small snakes, and frogs. In the northern part of the range, roots, bulbs, beans, nuts, berries, various herbs and cacti form the basis of nutrition. They can also eat agricultural crops.
reproduction
Collared peccaries do not have any specific breeding season. They can breed all year round. Mating is affected by climate, especially rainfall. Cubs are born at the same time rainy season. The dominant male tends to mate with all the females in the herd. The rest of the males should not leave the herd, but they are not allowed to approach the females. Therefore, herds of "bachelors" are not formed.
Pregnancy lasts 141-151 days. Born from 1 to 3, less often 4 cubs. Before giving birth, the female is separated from the herd, otherwise the newborns can be eaten by the rest of the bakers. The mother returns to the herd 1 day after birth. Lactation lasts 2-3 months. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 11 months for males and 8-14 months for females.
The only difference between keeping peccaries and pigs is that peccaries are more thermophilic, so heating should work in the covered part of the pigsty during the winter. It can be an ordinary incandescent light bulb closed by a box, or a heater. And of course there should be more straw.
Life expectancy in captivity is 24 years.
