''Perchoerus'' is an extinct genus of suine from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

and

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

of North America. Three species are known. While often considered to be a

peccary Peccaries (also javelinas or skunk pigs) are pig-like ungulates of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North America. Peccari ...

, other studies have recovered it to be a basal suine outside of either peccaries or

Suidae Suidae is a family (biology), family of Even-toed ungulate, artiodactyl mammals which are commonly called pigs, hogs, or swine. In addition to numerous fossil species, 18 Extant taxon, extant species are currently recognized (or 19 counting domes ...

. The oldest known species of ''Perchoerus'' is ''P. minor'', which was only the size of a house

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

. It is known from skull and tooth material. The later ''P. nanus'' of the

Orellan The Orellan is a North American Land Mammal Age typically set from around 33,700,000 to 32,000,000 years BP, a period of . The Orellan is preceded by the Chadronian and followed by the Whitneyan NALMA stages. Relative to global geological chronolo ...

grew larger and is known from a skull and lower jaw. The latest and largest species was ''P. probus'' of the Oligocene (32-30 mya). It was much larger (about as big as living peccaries) and known from more remains than the other species.

Palaeoecology

Low δ¹³C values from the teeth of ''P. probus'' suggest that it was an inhabitant of dense

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

habitats.

References

Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Peccaries Prehistoric mammals of North America Eocene mammals of North America Oligocene mammals of North America Prehistoric mammal genera {{paleo-eventoedungulate-stub