Otherwise, musk pigs are called bakers. Initially, they were attributed to the pig family. However, the musk pig has little in common with ordinary boars. Now these pigs are considered to be a family of peccaria - non-ruminant artiodactyl mammals.
Musk pig - where does the name come from?
A gland with a musk-like secretion is located on the back of the animals (in its posterior half). Beasts, having raised their stubble over the gland, with force eject a terribly smelling secret, marking the habitat. Because of this terrible smell, the musk pig got its name.
Characteristic signs
Bakers have significant distinguishing features that distinguish them from ordinary pigs. According to its characteristics, a musky pig is a non-ruminant ungulate. There are three sections in her stomach. The front is formed by 2 sausage-shaped blind sacs.
The hind legs are equipped with three toes, not four. The direction of the upper powerful trihedral, very long (in contact with the lower) canines is the same as that of predators - down. The jaw is filled with thirty-eight teeth. Any musky pig is smaller than true boars. The weight of animals varies from 16 to 30 kg, the maximum height is 57 cm, and the length does not exceed 100 cm.
The appearance of individuals resemble ordinary pigs. They have a large wedge-shaped head, a short neck, tiny eyes, slightly rounded ears. Their body is covered with thick bristles. She, elongated on the neck, nape and back, forms a beautiful mane. The animal has a short tail, hiding in the bristles, stands on thin short legs.
Habits
A cautious beast - a musky pig hears excellently, thanks to which it practically does not fall into the field of vision of a person. Rather, one can hear the characteristic clicking of the teeth and the clatter of fleeing individuals, rather than themselves.
Mumps feed on herbaceous plants, fruits, roots and bulbs. Animals are relatively little interested in them, although they may well have a bite of insects, lizards, small animals, and even carrion. In dry periods, they prefer to eat succulent plants, such as prickly pears and agave.
Habitat
The distribution area captures the southwestern United States and goes deep into Central Argentina. Dry steppes and rainforests are suitable for musk pigs. Animals, huddled in herds, actively eat at night, and during the day they settle on the beds.
A natural threat in the habitats for bakers is jaguars and cougars. Red trot and coyotes dare to attack young animals. Instinct-driven mothers vigorously protect babies. Attacking predators, they inflict bites on them, refraining, unlike a pig, from blows by fangs. Enraged and frightened animals characteristically click fangs.
Breeding
In the place where the droppings are left at the herd, many mounds of excrement are formed. Females are ready for mating at 8-8.5, and males at 11-11.5 months. There is no specific mating period for bakers. However, young growth, as a rule, appears in July - August, after the rainy season and the rapid growth of greenery.
The gestation period ranges from 142-149 days. An individual who senses the approach of childbirth is removed from the herd to a secluded place. Often childbirth happens in a hole. There are usually 2 pigs in a litter, and 3 or 4 mumps are a rare occurrence. For the most part, a musk pig brings same-sex piglets (only 20% are born to heterosexual young animals).
The very next day, the kids with their mother join the herd, they are fed with milk in a standing position (a couple more differences from real boars). Females milk only in the two rear pairs of nipples. Piglets begin to eat adult food, surviving to 6-8 weeks.
