For this Fossil Friday I would like to present an upper tooth of a peccary (Family Tayassuidae). This specimen was found at El Lirio West in 2008 by Ph.D. student Aldo Rincon and is early Miocene in age. Peccaries have bunodont teeth, one of the two main tooth types attributed to artiodactyls (the other being selenodont). Bunodont teeth are characterized by low, rounded cusps. Human teeth are also bunodont.

Be sure to check out one of our past Fossil Friday posts on the peccary “Cynorca” occidentale here.