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Description

Striped Rat-peccary
Scientific name: Propachus skiotos
Other Names: Striped Ratpig
Ancestor: Brown Rat
Diet: Grass, leaves, berries
Habitat and range: Eastern North American forests
The Striped Rat-peccary has stripes, ain't that neat? They help hide the little feller in the dramatic shadows of the woodlands. Asides for that, they're basically the same as their brown relative. Because I used that entry to give context to the genus Propachus, this entry will explore their social structure. Herds of Rat-peccaries consist mainly of a single boar and between 5 and 11 sows, plus piglets. When a male reaches maturity, he strikes out on his own or with his brothers (if any survived), looking for a new herd. When a new herd is found, the largest bachelor will challenge the boar, and if is successful in driving off the former male, he wins the harem. Unfortunately, males usually have a short reign as harem-master, and so will kill all the piglets he can to put the mothers back into an ovulatory cycle. If the male has brothers who traveled with him, he allows them to stay with the herd as lower-ranking males. When his generation of piglets are weaned, he leaves the herd and the second-largest brother mates with the females and sires offspring. The cycle continues until all the brothers have sired offspring, or one of them is overthrown by a new challenger, in which the remaining males flee. This is a special adaptive agreement; if I don't overthrow you and I let you sire offspring, then you will step down and let me sire offspring. In the case that the male had no brothers, or that the youngest brother has reached his turn as harem-master, the male will stay in power until he is thrown by the next bachelor. Males who have sired offspring or have been overthrown seldom repeat the cycle, and live out their days alone. Those males who have fled the herd with their brothers but have not had a turn to mate will likely challenge a new herd. Both the striped and Brown Rat-peccary share this social structure, and it is debated whether they are even different species at all because of this fact.

Description

Striped Rat-peccary
Scientific name: Propachus skiotos
Other Names: Striped Ratpig
Ancestor: Brown Rat
Diet: Grass, leaves, berries
Habitat and range: Eastern North American forests
The Striped Rat-peccary has stripes, ain't that neat? They help hide the little feller in the dramatic shadows of the woodlands. Asides for that, they're basically the same as their brown relative. Because I used that entry to give context to the genus Propachus, this entry will explore their social structure. Herds of Rat-peccaries consist mainly of a single boar and between 5 and 11 sows, plus piglets. When a male reaches maturity, he strikes out on his own or with his brothers (if any survived), looking for a new herd. When a new herd is found, the largest bachelor will challenge the boar, and if is successful in driving off the former male, he wins the harem. Unfortunately, males usually have a short reign as harem-master, and so will kill all the piglets he can to put the mothers back into an ovulatory cycle. If the male has brothers who traveled with him, he allows them to stay with the herd as lower-ranking males. When his generation of piglets are weaned, he leaves the herd and the second-largest brother mates with the females and sires offspring. The cycle continues until all the brothers have sired offspring, or one of them is overthrown by a new challenger, in which the remaining males flee. This is a special adaptive agreement; if I don't overthrow you and I let you sire offspring, then you will step down and let me sire offspring. In the case that the male had no brothers, or that the youngest brother has reached his turn as harem-master, the male will stay in power until he is thrown by the next bachelor. Males who have sired offspring or have been overthrown seldom repeat the cycle, and live out their days alone. Those males who have fled the herd with their brothers but have not had a turn to mate will likely challenge a new herd. Both the striped and Brown Rat-peccary share this social structure, and it is debated whether they are even different species at all because of this fact.