As announced in previous newsletters, three Collared Peccary females came to Ueno Zoo from Izu Shaboten Park this March (2006), and since July 31, 2006, they have been housed with one American Bison female.

American Bison Bison are animals that live on the plains of North America. In the "foreground" of the bison pen are Black-tailed Prairie Dog and others that also live on the North American plains (the prairie dog and bison exhibit are not connected).

The peccaries are animals of the even-toed ungulates peccary family, similar to Wild Boar (Wild Boar is in the Wild Boar family). It has an oily gland on its back, which is also called a "belly button Wild Boar" because it resembles a belly button. Distributed from southern North America to South America. The three species of animals from the Americas can now be seen together.

Until now, bison and peccaries have been kept alternately in the feedlot, but now they have finally started living together. The bison did not seem to be particularly concerned about the peccaries, and they were enjoying their usual (?) pace of life. Bison don't seem to be bothered by the peccaries, and they are living at their usual (?) pace. Collared Peccary Bison live in groups of a few to a dozen, but the three bison in Ueno are always together, never apart.

The peccaries are smaller than the Wild Boar and differ in appearance in that they have longer and slenderer limbs. Another difference is that the canine teeth on the upper jaw of the Wild Boar extend outward, whereas in the peccary they normally extend downward (although this is not obvious from the outside).

Another difference, which is more difficult to see from the outside, is that the peccary's stomach has a complex structure similar to that of ruminants. Also, unlike Wild Boar, peccaries do not build nests for raising their young.

Incidentally, in the U.S., peccaries are more often referred to by their Spanish-derived name, havelina javelina, rather than peccary, which is derived from a Caribbean word.

(August 18, 2006)