Collared peccary range expansion in northwestern New Mexico

We report new records of collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) in New Mexico that document its continued northward expansion in the United States, in general, and in northwestern New Mexico, in particular. These records might represent the northernmost extent of its range in the Southwest. Collared peccaries in New Mexico typically occur in desert, rocky, and brushy foothill regions and riparian communities. On the Zuni Indian Reservation, animals were observed at elevations up to 2,335 m in piñon-juniper and ponderosa pine habitats. Climate might play an important role in range expansion and contraction as collared peccaries might migrate north during years of drought or mild winters in search of food or new habitat.