Melbourne Zoo is celebrating the first birth of a Collared Peccary since 1986.

The peccary piglet was born on 27 November 2007 and went on display in December with its mother, father, and another adult female.

So far the keepers don’t know the baby’s sex as their priority has been for the baby to bond with its mother and they are yet to separate mother and baby for a check-up.

Collared Peccaries are one of three peccary species native to the tropical and sub-tropical forests of the USA’s south-western states and Central and South America.

They’re omnivorous but they do have favourite foods including roots, seeds, and fruits. They often eat cactus and will also eat insects and other invertebrates.

Peccaries belong to the large and widespread family of ungulates, which are represented among the native wildlife of every continent except for Australia and the Polar regions.

This family includes the odd-toed ungulate species, as diverse as zebras, tapirs, and rhinos, and the even-toed ungulates, such as camels, hippos, deer, giraffe, antelope – and the peccaries.  

In the wild, groups of peccaries occupy stable territories, and they show that ownership by marking tree trunks and rocks within their areas with scented secretions.

This is a very social and vocal species, with sounds that indicate alarm, anger, or aggression, or a call for the individuals in the group to gather together. Infants that have strayed away from their mothers make a shrill clucking sound that prompts the mothers to seek them out.

Pumas and jaguars are the major predators. Male peccaries generally stand guard around the periphery of the group, but if a predator manages to get close before it’s detected, the group will scatter to make it more difficult for the predator to catch one of them.

If they cannot scatter because the habitat is dense or there are young in the group, one peccary will come forward to face the predator while the rest escape – this may be a case of individual self-sacrifice for the group’s welfare.

All three peccary species are hunted for food and because they sometimes raid crops such as corn and watermelons. They are also losing habitat due to the clearance of forests for pastures and planting crops.