These feral pigs are popularly known as razor-back hogs. Relatives of the Old World pigs include the wart hog of Africa. In the Old World pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in the New World peccaries the tusk is short and straight. Peccaries are plant eaters and use it for defense. By rubbing the tusks together they can make a chattering noise that warns potential predators to not get too close.
Today there are three living species of peccary.
They are found from the southwestern United States through Central America and into South America. It is often found in dry arid habitats. It is found in the dry shrub habitat or Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia and Southern Brazil. The Chacoan peccary has the unusual distinction of having been first been described based on fossils and was originally thought to be only an extinct species. In 1975 the animal was discovered to still be alive and well in the Chaco region of Paraguay.