Perchoerus
Perchoerus is an extinct genus of suine from the Eocene and Oligocene of North America. Three species are known. While often considered to be a peccary, other studies have recovered it to be a basal suine outside of either peccaries or Suidae.
Description.
The oldest known species of Perchoerus is P. minor, which was only the size of a house cat. It is known from skull and tooth material.The later P. nanus of the Orellan grew larger and is known from a skull and lower jaw. The latest and largest species was P. probus of the Oligocene. It was much larger and known from more remains than the other species. The molars of Perchoerus are quadrituberculate and lack any of the accessory cuspules present in modern peccaries. The feet bore 4 functional digits and had free metacarpals. The bones in the forearm were separate.