Now that's a big pig

When you think about and write about endangered species a lot, it's easy to become, shall we say, discouraged.  That's why it's always welcome news whenever a new species is discovered.  We too easily assume that human beings have discovered all there is to know about the diversity of life--especially big mammalian life--on this planet.  But the truth is we discover new species all the time.  The latest entry is a new species of pig or peccary (a picture of a close cousin, the collard peccary, is below).  Clocking in at over three feet long (huge for a peccary), the new species, named pecari maximus by Dr. Marc van Roosmalen, lives in the jungles of Brazil.  So welcome to the party, pecari maximus.  It's damned good to meet you.