New Pig

Scientists claim they've found a new species of wild pig in the Brazilian jungle. I'm not exactly sure why it is news today, considering that the Dutch scientist who found it said he made the discovery in 2000. Anyway, according to the scientist:

I sensed there was something behind me and looked over my shoulder and saw three huge peccaries walking in a row," he said in an interview. "They came and disappeared like ghosts without making any sounds. That was atypical of peccaries, who always go around making lots of noise.

That description is a little overdramatized. I spent a week in the Peruvian jungle. Yes, peccaries are quite loud, and if these are quiet, that's pretty cool. However, your ears are not the first to detect their presence...your nose is. These things smell B-A-D. You smell them before you hear them. They travel in packs, and the smell is overpoweringly pungent. So how did the scientist get surprised when he looked over his shoulder to see a little peccary family? I've got to believe he smelled them first. The scientist is an interesting guy, though. He just spent 16 months in a Brazilian prison because he auctioned off the naming rights to some of the species he has discovered in the Amazon. The proceeds from the auctions are used to preserve the wild areas where they live. Kudos Dr. van Roosmalen.