A boat filled with many eco-tourists is traveling on a river in Sucumbíos Province, located in northeastern Ecuador.
Suddenly, they have to stop. It turns out that a large group of creatures is crossing the river to reach the other shore.
These creatures are the white-lipped peccaries (Scientific name: Tayassu pecari), one of the most hunted species in the Amazon. Furthermore, wildfires pose a serious threat to the population of this rare pig species.
A herd of peccaries crossing the river.
They are a native species of the Amazon rainforest with an adult weight of about 22 kg and a length of 1.1 m. Like many other pig species, white-lipped peccaries are omnivorous, and their lifespan is approximately 13 years.
This species can live in large herds ranging from 20 to 300 individuals, often crossing rivers in search of food sources. Peccaries also serve as indicator species reflecting the health of the Amazon rainforest due to their large herds and widespread distribution throughout the forest.
