Social Spacing
| Social Spacing | Social Behavior | Mating & Offspring | Summary | References |
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Group Size
The peccary is a very social animal that lives in herds with a varying number of members. Defined as a collective of one or more adult males with a number of females and their differently aged offspring, peccary herds generally consist of five to fifteen animals in the southern United States (Byers and Bekoff, 1981), yet Sowls has seen as many as 30 peccaries in one instance (1983, cited by Robinson and Eisenberg, 1985). In Venezuelan habitats J.F. Eisenberg counted 14-25 peccaries in herds (Robinson and Eisenberg, 1985). No matter the size, the herds frequently move together, yet they are prone to splitting into several subgroups of an average size of 3-6 members. The size of the subgroup depends on the variance of either predation risk or food type in the dissimilar habitats throughout the collared peccary’s range. Instability in herd size is also caused by single peccaries leaving due to aggression within the herd or because they failed to move with the herd (Schweinsburg, 1971). On the other hand, herds have been known to clump into larger collectives of up to 50 individuals, which may be related to the increased availability of food (Robinson and Eisenberg, 1985). With the exception of the formation of these subgroups, the constancy of the herd size and makeup is predictable throughout the year (Byers and Bekoff, 1981). Only a small percentage of peccaries actually permanently abandon their herds in an attempt to integrate into another (Oldenburg et al., 1985).
Home Range
A peccary herd occupies a particular home range of which they are most likely the only inhabitants (Sowls, 1974, cited by Robinson and Eisenberg, 1985). These home ranges range in size from 0.5-8.0 sq. km. (Novak, 1999). Although remaining mostly constant, a home range might possibly shift over a long enough period. For instance, in a study conducted by Perry W. Oldenburg, et al., evidence shows the migration of a herd’s territory over an 11-year time span, in this case about 1.25 km eastward (1985). Home ranges of different herds may also overlap or shift. Such overlaps and shifts in the home range could be potentially due to changing conditions in availability of food or the transformation of a former home range into an uninhabitable area (Oldenburg, et al., 1985). Although a peccary herd may share the outer reaches of its territory with other herds, there is an inner region that is exclusive to that home range’s herd. Peccaries use their dorsal musk glands to mark this “territory” by rubbing it against trees and other landmarks, which endows it with a particular scent that is recognized by the herd members (Novak, 1999). Due to their smaller size compared to other species of peccary, collared peccaries will aggressively defend their home range since it does not provide enough resources to support peccaries that do not belong to the herd (Fragoso, 1999).
This website was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Biology 323, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College in the spring Semester 2008.
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