Lincoln Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Chacoan Peccary

Catagonus wagneri

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 8, 2025

1. Chacoan Peccary Marker

Inscription. Before observing live Chacoan peccaries in 1972, scientists thought this species was extinct. Local Guarani people knew about the living ones all along.

Survival Surprise
Finding Chacoan peccaries was like finding a herd of woolly mammoths.
In the 1970s scientists found a species of peccary living in remote parts of South America's Gran Chaco region. It was identical to a species that they thought had been extinct for centuries!

Today the Gran Chaco region is changing rapidly. Forests are giving way to agriculture, and hunters are entering areas that were once inaccessible. Lincoln Park Zoo and other zoos have worked with partners in South America to secure a future for Chacoan peccaries.

[Right caption:]
A peccary jawbone from hundreds of years ago.

[Left caption:]
The Gran Chaco is a semi-tropical region close to the same size as Texas.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1972.

Location. 41° 55.136′ N, 87° 37.912′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lincoln

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Park. It can be reached from Cannon Drive 0.3 miles east of Du Sable Lake Shore Drive (U.S. 41), on the left when traveling north. The sign is in front of the fence for the Chacoan peccary area in the southeastern corner of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60614, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: “Rites of Spring” (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Landmark Landings (about 300 feet away); Père David's Deer (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Père David's Deer (about 400 feet away); A Unique Survival Story (about 500 feet away); Learning to Live Together (about 500 feet away); Men’s and Ladies’ Comfort Station (about

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, March 8, 2025

2. Chacoan Peccary Marker

600 feet away); Planned for Plants (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Also see . . . Lincoln Park Zoo: Chacoan Peccary. (Submitted on March 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 167 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 10, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.