WHITE-LIPPED PECCARY

About the White Lipped Peccary

Did you know? Two in three visitors to our Tambopata Research Center lodge get to see the herds of this jungle pig!

In the lush rainforest surrounding our Amazon lodges — especially the Tambopata Research Center lodge — lives a herd of funny, pig-like creatures called Peccaries. Because of its remote, preserved location, our Tambopata, Peru, the home holds two species of these hog-like mammals! Most noteworthy is the White-lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari), a larger mammal that travels in huge herds of 50 to 300 individuals!

The White-Lipped Peccary mainly feeds on fruits and palm nuts. They’re much more active during the day than at night, roaming the jungle for food. These Peccaries travel long distances, covering wide areas of the forest in big herds comprised of fifty to five hundred individuals –sometimes more when groups come together! They can live for over a decade, and give birth to two baby peccaries at a time.

White-lipped Peccary Fun Facts

• Members of the Clean Plate Club: White-Lipped Peccaries are not picky — not at all! Completely omnivorous, these keystone species eat everything they can find; lizards, snakes, insects, other invertebrates, and fruit.


• Locally known as huangana


• Little brother species: While White-Lipped Peccaries are the largest Peccaries around the Peruvian rainforest, they’re not alone. The smaller species of Peccary, the Collared Peccary, roam in small herds around the jungle as well.


• Vulnerable jungle pigs: When you’re at our Amazon lodge surrounded by a huge herd of White-lipped Peccaries, they may seem endless. In fact, these hog-like mammals are classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List! These poor Peccaries have been hunted by humans for generations, and as their habitat shrinks, their fate is uncertain.

How to plan your Amazon jungle travel to see the White-lipped Peccary and other jungle wildlife

• Stay at the Tambopata Research Center lodges: This extremely secluded jungle lodge lies inside the Tambopata National Reserve. Its healthy, isolated rainforest location means giant herds of White-Lipped Peccary roam around all the time!


• Walk with a trained guide: Visit the secluded Rainforest Expedition lodges in the Peruvian Amazon. One of our experienced guides will help you find them!


• And of course, when you decide to travel to the Amazon, drop by to chat with the Amazon Jungle Travel Experts. We will help you get here!