The “Living Fossil” Peccary, Catagonus wagneri (Tayassuidae), and Its Climatic Significance during the Pleistocene and Holocene

Abstract

The Tayassuidae first expanded their range into North America from Eurasia and then extended into South America during the “Great American Biotic Interchange,” becoming one of the first North American mammalian immigrants. Three genera are recognized in South America: Platygonus Le Conte (middle Pliocene to early Pleistocene), Catagonus Ameghino (late Pliocene? early Pleistocene to Recent), and Tayassu Fischer (middle Pleistocene to Recent; see Gasparini et al. 2009, 2010).