Giant Wild Pig Discovered in the Amazon Jungle
Posted by sky | Tags: Amazon, Animals, Photos, extinction, nature
From Daily Mail.A new species of wild pig previously unknown to science has been discovered in the Brazilian jungle. The large creature grows to a length of more than four feet and is almost twice as heavy as its nearest relative. Named the 'giant peccary', (photo) the creature was unknown until the skins and bones of animals killed by local hunters came to the attention of Dutch biologist Marc van Roosmalen. The animal, only known to live along the remote banks of the Aripuana river, is thought to be endangered by the illegal timber trade and road building. Local tribes call it "Caitetu Munde", which means "great peccary which lives in pairs" and may have been spotted by an American rubber-cutter, John Yungjohann, who worked in the Amazon from 1906 to 1919. While other peccaries dig up the ground in search of seeds and roots, this one mostly lives off freshly fallen fruit. They have recommended that the giant peccary be placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' Red List of threatened species.Photo (National Geographic) Related: Rare Smiling Bird. Previous Post Next Post
