COEXISTENCE OF PECCARIES AND FERAL HOGS IN THE BRAZILIAN PANTANAL WETLAND: AN ECOMORPHOLOGICAL VIEW

Niche partitioning among sympatric populations of white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), and feral hog (Sus scrofa) is evaluated using an ecomorphological approach. Masticatory apparatus and head-elevation lever system of the 3 species are compared by skull measures...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 2002-02, Vol.83 (1), p.207-217
Main Authors: Sicuro, Fernando L., Oliveira, Luiz Flamarion B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Sus scrofa
Tayassu pecari
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Niche partitioning among sympatric populations of white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari), collared peccary (Pecari tajacu), and feral hog (Sus scrofa) is evaluated using an ecomorphological approach. Masticatory apparatus and head-elevation lever system of the 3 species are compared by skull measures related to moment arms of associated muscles. Force-rates based on the equation of static equilibrium are proposed as a basis of comparison between species-specific cranial designs related to mastication and digging ability. Morphofunctional data suggest that feral hogs have a powerful bite and are able to feed on seeds of different degrees of resistance. With an optimized lever system of head elevation, feral hogs are more efficient than peccaries at rooting. These facts, along with the capacity of feral hogs to explore a wide range of habitats, support the view that the species acts as a potential competitor of native peccaries.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
DOI:10.1644/1545-1542(2002)083<0207:COPAFH>2.0.CO;2