GEOGRAPHIC SIZE VARIATION

Most size data on the collared peccary are form the northern parts of its range. To those who have seen it in more southernly places, however, the northern animals (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) appear larger. There is a lack of information on the weights and body measurements of collared peccaries from Central and South America. I compared the available information form 10 animals (6 from Costa Rica. [Vaughan pers. comm.] 3 from Surinam [Husson 1978] and 1 from Paraguay [Ludlow pers. comm.]); with similar data on 104 animals from Arizona. Applying a student’s “t” test to these data. I found that the Arizona animals were significantly larger than the Central/South American animals except for the neck measurements were the Central/South American sample was only 6 animals (Table 1.5).

Another means of comparing the size of animals is that commonly used by archaeologists who have unearthed large amounts of bones but not parts. Hamblin (1980) noted that the bones of collared peccaries found in excavations at Mayan sites on Cozumel Island were considerably smaller than modern reference material from Arizona. This is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean near the Yucatán, Mexico. She measured parts of skulls from 28 specimens from Cozumel and compared these measurements with similar data from 43 skulls from Arizona. Six difference mandibular and maxillary measurements were taken according to standard techniques described by Driesch (1976). She found that the jawbones of peccaries from these sites were significantly smaller (P<0.1) than those form modern peccaries in Arizona.

I compared the Cozumel data with similar data from Ecuador from skulls obtained by Dr. Rollin Baker of Michigan State University. Dr. baker furnished these data for comparisons. Multiple range tests showed a significant difference between the Arizona and the Cozumel data, a significant difference between the Ecuador and Cozumel data, but no significant differences between the Arizona and Ecuador data.

Little doubt exists that significant differences in the sizes of collared peccaries from different parts of their range do exist. Additional data from scattered parts of the range are needed before such a complete analysis can be made.