Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu 
Makushi name: Praka, Paraka 
Size: body=90 cm; weight=20 kg 
Description: Small, piglike, with a stocky body and slim legs. Grizzled grey-brown with a pale collar from shoulders to chest. Head large, triangular. Eyeshine reddish, moderately bright. 
Activity: Nocturnal or diurnal; terrestrial. 
Habits: Social, usually seen in groups of 5 to 15. If hunted it may be largely nocturnal but is usually diurnal in evergreen forest. Groups rest in caves, in deep burrows, or under rocks or logs. It eats mostly palm nuts and other fruits, but also takes some leafy vegetables, roots, and invertebrates. Groups sometimes follow a troop of monkeys, eating fruit dropped from trees. If alarmed it gives a series of sharp whoofs; other calls includes grunts, purrs and barks. 
Habitat: All forest types, savannah, desert and agricultural areas. 
Signs: Tracks show two triangular hooves, usually slightly rounded at tip (tracks of deer are similar but have pointed tips), about 35 mm wide. Strong musty (gym-room) odour is characteristic, permeates regularly used mud wallows and dusting areas; dark oily deposits from scent glands are left on rocks and trees. 
Status: Common and widespread where not hunted. Listed on CITES Appendix II. 
Distribution in Iwokrama