Photo in the News: New Boarlike Animal Found in Amazon
November 5, 2007—A huge, undiscovered animal lurking in the Amazon rain forest? When pigs fly, you might say.
But recently, Dutch biologist Marc van Roosmalen spotted a new species of peccary—a type of large wild pig—in the Rio Aripuanã region of southeastern Brazil.
The newly christened giant peccary shares few similarities with its two relatives, the white-lipped and collared peccaries, both found in the same area.
For one thing, the new peccary doesn't eat like a pig—instead of snuffling on the ground for seeds and roots, it munches on fruits that grow in dry, wooded areas, according to a statement provided by van Roosmalen.
And unlike its gregarious counterparts, which form family groups of up to hundreds of animals, these timid giants only live in pairs or small family groups.
Giant peccaries also do not defend themselves from hunters, making them easy prey in a region undergoing unprecedented development and illegal logging, van Roosmalen and colleagues write in their report on the discovery.
"In view of these recent developments, we fear that commercial hunters using trained dogs will focus first on [the giant peccary]," the authors write.
The researchers recommend that the new species be placed on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
"This kind of discovery shows how little we still know about the Amazon," Tom Cohen, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Conservation International, said by email.
"[It] therefore reinforces the need to protect as much ... biodiversity-rich tropical forest as possible."
