Longed-nosed Peccary (Mylohyus nasutus)

Up to three feet tall, this swift long-legged peccary lived in Illinois long before the Ice Age and eventually was contemporary with early humans, possibly as late as 9,000 years ago. Solitary, it ranged widely through woodlands as well as open areas, from the glaciers edge to the warm southlands. Food consisted mainly of shrubs, but like modern feral pigs, probably also included small invertebrates along with nuts and roots. With few, if any, predators, Mylohyus was widely distributed through central and eastern North America and well down into Mexico. Peccarys are relatively primitive. They differ from feral pigs in having incisors that point downward as well as having scent glands along their back. Mylohyus differed further in possessing excellent eyesight.