The family Tayassuidae, commonly known as peccaries, belongs to the order Artiodactyla, which includes even-toed ungulates. Peccaries are medium-sized, pig-like mammals native to the Americas, primarily found in forests, grasslands, and scrublands from the southwestern United States to South America. They have stout bodies, short legs, and coarse hair, with a distinctive snout adapted for rooting in soil for food, which includes roots, fruits, seeds, and small invertebrates. Unlike true pigs, peccaries have a unique dental and skeletal structure and are highly social, typically living in herds that provide protection against predators. They play an important ecological role by dispersing seeds and modifying vegetation through their foraging behavior.