This initial information is important before I blog about my subject of “Peccaries & Pigs in the Book of Mormon”, because I want you to have some context of Book of Mormon Central’s [BOMC] subjects on anachronisms. [which means, The representation of someone or something as existing or something as happening in other than chronological, proper, or historical order]. I want you to see how BOMC especially speaks about animals that the Book of Mormon speaks of, but none of these animals are found in Mesoamerica. However, you will find most of the Book of Mormon animals not found in Mesoamerica are found in North America, where I believe the proper geography is for the Book of Mormon.
“The legal organization behind Book of Mormon Central is the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, [link below] Inc., a 501 (c) 3 non-profit public charity chartered in the state of Utah in 2004. Book of Mormon Central is not an official part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but rather an independent organization. BMC welcomes donations in support of this work. Book of Mormon Central is only possible through the diligent service of many volunteers. Book of Mormon Central began operating in May, 2015.” https://www.bookofmormoncentral.org/about
Big Question: I have always wondered why BOMC and BOMAF get to put 4 Emeritus General Authorities on their website who support their organization, and we also have many Emeritus General Authorities who support the Heartland, but we are not allowed to tell you their names or put them on our website. This has nothing to do with the Prophet and Apostles, as I don’t question anything they do. I’m sure some historian or scholar got permission from someone in the hierarchy. See which Emeritus GA’s are on their Advisory board here:
See a Bold Statement below from BOMAF below.
EVIDENCES THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON TOOK PLACE IN MESOAMERICA
Criteria for Book of Mormon Lands and People
| A Narrow Neck of land and 4 seas (east, west, north, and south) | |
| A major river running south to north from a narrow strip of wilderness | |
| A high civilization with cities, kings, artisans, military, and priests | |
| An agricultural base large enough to support several millions of people | |
| A highly literate (written language) society with scribes as important officers | |
| Functional calendar and dating systems | |
| A merchant class using weights and measures | |
| Engineers to build houses, temples, towers, and highways using cement | |
| Highly skilled craftsmen working with precious metals and stonework | |
| A warrior society involved in large battles using trained soldiers and sophisticated fortifications | |
| Legends of a white, bearded God |
“These Criteria must be in the Western Hemisphere but where Joseph Smith could not have known about them in 1829.” BOMC
What a power-packed statement. This statement says that whatever Moroni (My blog here shows over 20 visits to Joseph by Moroni and many other past prophets), or other translated beings or prophets taught Joseph Smith before 1829 he would not have recognized about Book of Mormon geography, animals, cities, teachings, way of life, interpreters, battles, artifacts, buried bodies, mounds, spiritual instructions, narrow passes, and more. What a list of disclaimers. This is why I have trouble taking seriously anything BOMC says about geography, and translation. I will still look for their opinions of things that I may have not studied as their scholars know many great things that I agree with.
Our friends at Book of Mormon Central have many great articles and information, but when it comes to their Book of Mormon geography, some say that they are neutral like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is and believes. I know that is the church’s position and I am perfectly fine with that. I believe BOMC or BOMAF’s neutrality stand, makes it easier for researchers and members to feel more comfortable to read their their blog for answers, more than it says they really are neutral when it comes to geography however. In my opinion they are not neutral. You can’t find anything about the Heartland’s geography they say is true, except about when they speak of Barley in North America and Abinadi being tortured using faggots was something that happened in North and Mesoamerica, both. [See Blog Here]
Below is an article by two BOMC scholars about their position about animals in the Book of Mormon that they can’t explain why they are not found in Mesoamerica. This is why I speak about specifically “pigs” as the Meso-scholars can’t explain it to my satisfaction.
Type: Journal Article Animals in the Book of Mormon: Challenges and Perspectives Author(s): Wade E. Miller and Matthew Roper Source:
BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 4 (2017)
Published by: BYU Studies Page(s): 133–175
Abstract: When the Book of Mormon first appeared, skeptics said that references to horses, asses, elephants, and other animals (such as swine and cows) were out of place. During the first century after its publication, Book of Mormon critics argued that such animals never existed anywhere in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and western Europeans in the late fifteenth century. In time, however, scientific discoveries showed that species of horses, asses, elephants, and other animals had once been present in North America, although dating to an earlier period than that covered in the Book of Mormon.(1)
Encouraged by such discoveries, the present authors and some other specialists reasoned that future research and investigation would show that some of these species survived into historical times consistent with the account in the Book of Mormon. It can no longer be argued that there were no horses, asses, or elephants in the Americas. The issue has shifted to when such animals became extinct. As we approach the end of the second century since the publication of the Book of Mormon, the skeptical reader is more likely to claim that these animals disappeared before the advent of modern humans or long before the time covered by the Nephite record. Some Latter-day Saints are challenged by what they consider a lack of evidence supporting the historicity of the animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon. People of faith, however, are not alone in their challenges. Secular scholars have their own difficulties interpreting the past. An understanding of some of these challenges and the nature of the tools and evidence needed to address such questions can provide a helpful perspective to those who may be troubled by this issue.
In this article, we address factors that provide important perspectives on animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon.(2) For many Latter-day Saints, the subject may be of peripheral interest. For others, these matters may be a challenge. The truth of the scriptural text, whose primary purpose is to testify of God’s dealings with an ancient group of his covenant people, is first and foremost a matter of faith. However, this should not stop scholars from seeking all available truths that can be derived from this sacred text. B. H. Roberts wrote, “Secondary evidences in support of truth, like secondary causes in natural phenomena [science], may be of first rate importance and mighty factors in the achievement of God’s purposes.”(3)
Notes:
1. Fred James Pack, “Revelation Ante-dating Scientific Discovery: An Instance,” Improvement Era 10 (February 1907): 241–47; (June 1907): 595–97; B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1909), 3:534–43; Franklin S. Harris, The Book of Mormon: Message and Evidences (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1953), 70–94.
2. The authors have benefited greatly from the pioneering research and publications of John L. Sorenson on this subject, which represent the essential starting place for those who approach this subject. See John L. Sorenson, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), 288–99; John L. Sorenson, Animals in the Book of Mormon: An Annotated Bibliography (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1992); and John L. Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book; Provo, Utah: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2013), 309–21.
3. Roberts, New Witnesses for God, 2:viii.
Nephites and Jaredites had Pigs?
The answer is, Yes! And they had sheep and other animals spoken of in the Book of Mormon. All of the rhetoric and vagueness of the above BOMC statements, to try and get pigs and sheep and cows and doves and goats and rams and horses and elephants into a Mesoamerican setting, it can’t be done according to history. North America has all of those animals before during and after the timeline of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Read on.
Ether 9:18 And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.
3 Nephi 14:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines “swine ” as;
SWINE, noun sing. and plural A hog, a quadruped of the genus Sus, which furnishes man with a large portion of his most nourishing food. The fat or lard of this animal enters into various dishes in cookery. The swine is a heavy, stupid animal, and delights to wallow in the mire.
A collared peccary or Javelina or “Swine” are referred to twice in the Book of Mormon, and states that the swine were “useful for the food of man” among the Jaredites, and among the Nephites in a discussion to not mix pearls with swine.
Anachronisms
There are a number of words and phrases in the Book of Mormon that are anachronistic—their existence in the text of the Book of Mormon is at odds with known linguistic patterns or archaeological findings.
Each of the anachronisms is a word, phrase, artifact, or other concept that critics, historians, archaeologists, or linguists believe did not exist in America during the time period in which the Book of Mormon claims to have been written.
Mormon scholars and apologists respond to the anachronisms in various ways. Since I believe the events of the Book of Mormon happened in North America, I look for archaeology that support that setting.
Peccaries in Tennessee
Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl family Tayassuidae. They are New World relatives of the Old World true pigs (family Suidae). Peccaries can easily be distinguished by the fact that their upper canines (tusks) point downward. In true pigs (suids) the tusks curve upward. In addition, peccaries have less complex cheek teeth, reduced side toes, and large, dorsal musk glands.
*Editors note: It is my opinion that when many archaeologists identify dating of artifacts at millions of years, as a young earth creationist I believe no animals lived on this earth until they were created about 3-4,000 BC just before Adam was placed on the earth.
Two species of peccary were present in North America north of Mexico *16,000 years ago, and remains of both are found in the midwestern U.S. The two species are the flat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) and the long-nosed peccary (Mylohyus nasutus).
Both the flat-headed peccary and the long-nosed-peccary stood about three-quarters of a meter (about 30 inches) tall at the shoulder and probably weighed around 50 kg (110 pounds). Both were probably fairly omnivorous, although the long-nosed peccary consumed more browse (trees and shrubs) than did the flat-headed peccary.
The flat-headed peccary apparently lived in herds. Sometimes these herds used caves as shelters. Large numbers of peccary bones have been found in several caves in Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas. In some cases, such as Welsh Cave, Kentucky (specimen shown above), Bat Cave, Missouri, Zoo Cave, Missouri, and Laubach Cave, Texas, these finds probably represent long-term usage of a cave by herds of peccaries. Unlike the flat-headed peccary, Mylohyus was probably a solitary animal and did not frequent caves. In spite of the fact that they did not frequent caves, occasionally long-nosed peccary remains are found in caves.
To the left is a fragment of a long-nosed peccary jaw was recovered from a cave in Jefferson County, Missouri. The teeth are shorter and have more rounded cusps than do the teeth of the flat-headed peccary (on the right). These differences in the teeth are due to the fact that long-nosed peccaries lived in woodlands and ate mainly shrubs while flat-headed peccaries lived in open areas and ate coarser vegetation.
Bat Cave, Missouri contained the remains of at least 98 individual flat-headed peccaries. The material from this site is in the collections of the Illinois State Museum.
Both Platygonus and Mylohyus became extinct in North America approximately *11,500 years ago. The reason for their extinction is being studied by paleontologists.
Peccary Finds in the Midwestern U.S.
This map shows some of the sites at which the flat-headed peccary (red triangles) and long-nosed peccary (green dots) have been found in the midwestern United States. The sites on this map are all relatively well-dated and well-studied. These sites contain peccary remains that are between *40,000 and 11,500 years old. [Wow, old pigs wouldn’t you say? Of course this is rubbish to me. How can anyone date them with that great of a distance of time. Why not just say the pig is millions of years old like they do for dinosaurs? I strongly believe dinosaurs lived during the time of Adam. See my blog here and here
Long Fossil History.
Peccaries have a long fossil history. They first evolved around *33 million years ago in either North America or Eurasia. They are present in North America from that time right through to the present. Between about *5 and 33 million years ago they were also found in the Old World. Peccaries dispersed into South America approximately *2.5 million years ago and have been successful in that area since. Three species of peccary are alive today. The Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri), which is found in the Gran Chaco region of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina, is a close relative of the extinct Platygonus. The collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) ranges from Arizona and Texas south to northern Argentina. The white-lipped peccary (Tayassu pecari) ranges from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Source:
So pigs were in North America 33 million years ago and it only took 31 million years or so to disperse to South America” Wow I am believing this aren’t you? [haha] The fact remains there are peccaries in North America as seen in other archaeological artifacts above and below.
Peccary
Hagerman Horse Quarry
“The Hagerman Horse Quarry is a paleontological site containing the largest concentration of Hagerman horse (Equus simplicidens) fossils yet found. The quarry is within Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, located west of Hagerman, Idaho, USA, at the geographic division of the Snake River Plain. The Hagerman Horse Quarry is an integral part of the monument and is located on the northern flank of Fossil Gulch in the northern portion of the monument.
See my blog on Horses in North America here:
The Hagerman Horse Quarry resides near the top of the hillside of Smithsonian Hill. The hill was named from the early Smithsonian excavations of the Hagerman horse. The Hagerman horse is the first fossil representation of the genus Equus in North America.” Source
| “In 1938, one of the scientists who excavated at the Hagerman Horse Quarry, Dr. C.L. Gazin, described a new species of peccary, Platygonus pearcei, from the Hagerman fossil beds. The name Platygonus means flat head and refers to the straight shape of the forehead. The species name pearcei is for the discoverer, George B. Pearce, a member of the 1934 Smithsonian field crew. Since its original discovery at Hagerman, Pearce’s peccary has been found near Grand View Idaho and at White Bluffs, Washington. People often confuse peccaries, which are found in the New World, with pigs which originated in the Old World, especially since some domestic pigs brought by european settlers have escaped over the years and now run wild in many parts of the United States. These feral pigs are popularly known as razor-back hogs. Relatives of the Old World pigs include the wart hog of Africa. One of the ways to tell the two groups apart is the shape of the canine tooth or “tusk”. In the Old World pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in the New World peccaries the tusk is short and straight. Peccaries are plant eaters and use it for defense. By rubbing the tusks together they can make a chattering noise that warns potential predators to not get too close. Today there are three living species of peccary. They are found from the southwestern United States through Central America and into South America. The only peccary in the United States is the collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu), also known by its spanish name, javelina. It is often found in dry arid habitats. A second species is the White-lipped peccary (Tyassu peccari) which is found in the rain forests of Central and South America. The last species, the Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) is the closest living relative to the extinct Platygonus pearcei found at Hagerman. It is found in the dry shrub habitat or Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia and Southern Brazil. The Chacoan peccary has the unusual distinction of having been first been described based on fossils and was originally thought to be only an extinct species. In 1975 the animal was discovered to still be alive and well in the Chaco region of Paraguay. This third species of peccary was well known by the native Indians but it took awhile for scientists to discover its existence. Peccaries have a long history in North America. They first appear in the Early Oligocene, about *32 million years ago and a variety of different species are present in faunas of different ages across the continent. Some of these extinct peccaries have been found at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon and at Badlands National Monument in South Dakota. Although common in South America today, peccaries did not reach that continent until about 9 million years ago. Prior to that, there was no isthmus of Panama, and South America was an island continent. As the Panamanian isthmus formed, many North American animals entered South America. Along with peccaries, lames and tapirs also migrated south. Today people think these animals are South American, yet all come from North American ancestors. The exchange was a two-way street however, and some of the ancient South American species, like the ground sloth, migrated north and are found at Hagerman.” https://www.nps.gov/hafo/learn/nature/peccary.htm |
Georgia Before People
Peccary Cave in Arkansas
Perhaps the best site for Pleistocene fossils in Arkansas is Peccary Cave located in Newton County. The site was first excavated in 1960s, and a follow-up expedition prospected for fossils again in the early 1990s. The fossil remains of at least 51 species of mammals have been found here. 4000 specimens of a minimum of 64 individual flat-headed peccaries (Platygonus compressus) were discovered in the cave, hence the name. The bones of other extinct species excavated from the cave include mammoth, mastodon, bison (Bison antiquus), stag-moose, helmeted musk-ox, tapir, beautiful armadillo, and dire wolf. There are also remains of extralimital species found here that no longer occur in the region–grizzly bear, pine marten, porcupine, heather vole, and numerous other rodents and insectivores of northern affinities. Plenty of species still found in the region are represented in the cave as well such as beaver, otter, muskrat, raccoon, coyote, gray fox, opossum, and either mule or white-tailed deer. Reptile and amphibian specimens have been excavated from the cave along with a few human-made artifacts of unknown cultural origin.
Newton County, location of Peccary Cave.
Illustration of the flat-headed peccary. Peccaries didn’t use Peccary Cave as a den. Instead, they either fell inside or their bones were washed into the cave when the nearby creek flooded. Birds of prey dropped or defecated smaller animals into the cave from overhanging trees.
The fossils represent several different climate phases. The lowest level contains fossils over *22,000 calendar years BP, a climate phase that includes a weak interstadial and the following early glacial maximum. Mixed Ice Age woodlands of spruce, pine, and hardwoods interspersed with prairies predominated. 7 different species of squirrels lived in the region then, showing how many diverse habitats occurred here. Red squirrels and least chipmunks, now absent from the region, preferred spruce forests; gray squirrels, fox squirrels, and southern flying squirrels occur in temperate hardwood forests; woodchucks like meadows; and 13-lined ground squirrels require tree-less plains. The author of the study discussed below thinks the following glacial maximum caused the entire Missouri Plateau to become inhospitable desert because there are few fossils from the site, dating to between *21,000 calendar years ago-15,000 calendar years BP. Undoubtedly, the region became more arid during this climate phase, and desert scrub grassland likely predominated, but I think there are alternative explanations for the lack of fossils during this time period here: a) the cave entrance may have become closed and/or b) the barren landscape allowed animals to see the trap entrance and avoid it whereas before it was hidden by thick vegetation and animals frequently fell inside. Without overhanging limbs there was no perch for birds of prey to drop of defecate the remains of their meals. Moreover, the nearby creek dried up, so there were no floods to wash fossils into the cave.
The upper level of sediment represents a warm dry interstadial post *15,000 calendar years BP when the region was dominated by grassland. Bison fossils appear during this phase, and toad fossils outnumber frog bones. Toads can survive better than frogs in more arid climates.
Kurt Wilson wrote his PHD thesis about the peccary and dire wolf bones found in Peccary Cave. His paper has interesting information, but it is incompletely researched, and his conclusions are logically flawed. He believes flat-headed peccaries were always an uncommon species. Part of his reason for this assertion is based on his incorrect observation that “the southeast is virtually devoid of records (of flat-headed peccaries), except for a dozen localities in Florida.” Wilson is unaware of 2 sites in north Georgia (Yarbrough Cave and Ladds) and 1 site in coastal South Carolina where fossil remains of flat-headed peccaries have been found. It is also illogical to assume a species was absent from a region based on its absence in the fossil record. Large areas of the southeast are devoid of fossils because the local geology is not conducive to fossil preservation, not because animals didn’t live there in the past.
Wilson concludes flat-headed peccaries became extinct due to climate change based on 4 lines of evidence that are easily debunked.
1. He dismisses overhunting by humans as a cause of flat-headed peccary extinction when he regurgitates the tired old claim of Meltzer and Grayson (an archaeologist and anthropologist…not paleoecologists) that there isn’t enough archaeological evidence of human interaction (kill sites) with this species. I consider this reasoning absurd in the extreme. 99.999…etc% of animals that ever lived on earth left no fossil evidence whatsoever. It has always seemed unreasonable to me to expect the remains of the final populations of a species that overlapped with man for less than 2000 years to be preserved in the fossil record. The chances of this happening are tiny. I’ve noticed Grayson’s recent book published in 2016 is frequently being cited in new papers about Pleistocene vertebrates. Grayson was blatantly dishonest in this book in the way he characterized a study that rules out climate change models of extinction. (See: https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/donald-graysons-disingenous-case-against-overkill/ ) Grayson lied and he knows he lied.
2. Wilson assumes flat-headed peccaries became extinct in this region about 22,000 calendar years BP because their remains don’t occur in cave sediment after this date. (When Wilson writes of extinction in his paper he means regional disappearance or extirpation because he’s aware terminal dates for this species in other regions are 11,000 calendar years ago. Nevertheless, he clumsily never makes this distinction in his paper.) He asserts peccaries became extinct here because the climate became too arid for them. Again, he is basing his assertion on the dubious assumption that the absence of evidence is evidence of absence. I think flat-headed peccaries were probably even more abundant during the arid climate phase because they were anatomically well-adapted to dry dusty environments. Flat-headed peccaries had extensive structures in their nasal passages that helped filter dust. Wilson must be unaware there are at least 9 fossil sites where herds of flat-headed peccaries were buried during sandstorms. (See: https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/when-sand-dunes-buried-herds-of-flat-headed-peccaries/ ) This suggests they were common in desert environments. Flat-headed peccaries may have avoided falling in Peccary Cave after 22,000 calendar years BP because the area around the entrance to the cave was barren and not hidden by vegetation. None happened to fall in the cave after this date, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t still occur in the region. Other fossil sites in the region yield the remains of horses, but not a single horse fossil has been found in Peccary Cave. Horses were likely another abundant species in the region that just happened to never fall in or enter Peccary Cave.
3. Wilson did a stable isotope analysis of 2 flat-headed peccary teeth and concluded they fed upon just a few leguminous plant species, so they became extinct when these limited number of plant species disappeared from the region. I don’t believe the entire dietary breadth of a species can be determined from such a small sample size. Moreover, 1 study suggests stable isotope analysis is not at all reliable. (See: https://markgelbart.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/trust-the-coprolites-not-the-stable-isotope-analysis/ ) Scientists compared the results of a stable isotope analysis of moa bones with actual fossil droppings. The stable isotope analysis was wrong. Flat-headed peccary teeth were built to eat grass and tough vegetation. A species that survived millions of years of climate change didn’t exclusively feed upon just a few species of leguminous plants.
4. Wilson asserts flat-headed peccaries were uncommon and thus vulnerable to extinction. However, a new genetic study of 12 flat-headed peccary individuals from Sheridan Cave, Ohio, dating to just before their extinction revealed populations of this species were diverse and expanding. This suggests flat-headed peccaries were common, adaptable, and had a wide geographical distribution until the species’ demise.
Peccary Cave has yielded a wealth of information for paleoecologists, and I’m shocked at how little research has been published about this site. I’ve been able to find about half a dozen research papers. There hasn’t been a scientific excavation of the site since 1993, though amateurs are currently pillaging it. Most of the specimens from this site have not yet been described in the scientific literature, and they are not listed on the paleobiology database. An early report of the site mentions the existence of peccary “droppings.” Yet, nobody has studied the coprolites (please email me if I’m wrong)–an outrageous oversight. We could actually find out what flat-headed peccaries ate, instead of guessing based on stable isotope analysis. I’m not sure the coprolites were even collected and stored in a museum. There should be hundreds of published papers about this site, not just a paltry 6. I’ve come across other understudied fossil sites and collections in my research, but this site might possible be the most underappreciated.
References:
Bell, Kenneth; and Lee Davis
“Sinkhole Excavations in Peccary Cave, Newton County, Arkansas”
Arkansas Academy of Science 47(30) 1993
Davis, Lee
“Biostratigraphy of Peccary Cave, Newton, County, Arkansas”
Arkansas Academy of Science 1969
Perry, Tahlia; et. al.
“Ancient DNA Analysis of the Extinct North American Flat-headed Peccary (Platygonus compressus)”
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2017
Wilson, Kurt
“Late Pleistocene Extinction of the Flat-headed Peccary on the Ozark Plateau: Paleozoological Insights from Peccary Cave”
Iowa State Graduate Thesis 2017
Tennessee scientists unearth fossils of prehistoric pig-like creatures in stunning discovery
A modern-day peccary. (iStock)
In a thrilling discovery, scientists with East Tennessee State University (ETSU) have recently confirmed the prehistoric fossils found in an area known as the Gray Fossil Site belonged to two different species of ancient peccaries, pig-like creatures.
The fossils, including part of a well-preserved skull, confirm that two species of peccaries — Mylohyus elmorei and Prosthennops serus — roamed this area in prehistoric times. In fact, the findings mark the first time the remains of either species have been found in the Appalachian region, the university said in a news release.
While one of the two species, Prosthennops serus, had previously been found in other fossil sites in the U.S., it has never before been found in the Appalachian region. And the other, Mylohyus elmorei, has “only been found in one region of central Florida, more than 900 kilometers to the south,” the university said.
Scientists were able to identify these prehistoric species thanks to the “well-preserved remains of their skulls,” which included the “nearly complete lower jaws of both species.
Both the Prosthennops serus and the Mylohyus elmorei would likely have been the size of a German shepherd, which scientists noted is larger than modern-day peccaries.
“Details of the peccaries’ teeth suggest they spent their lives browsing on the leaves and fruits of succulent plants, so they would have been right at home in the Gray Fossil Site ecosystem, which we know from plant fossils was rich with tasty vegetation,” Chris Widga, the head curator at the ETSU Museum of Natural History at the Gray Fossil Site — which was once “a large pond surrounded by a lush forest” — said in a statement. https://www.foxnews.com/science/tennessee-scientists-unearth-fossils-of-prehistoric-pig-like-creatures-in-stunning-discovery
Archaeology of New York
In the book “Archaeology of New York State” by William Ritchie in 1965 there have been found many ancient Peccary’s dated around the Jaredite and Nephite time periods. See their map below:
As you see you also find many of the migratory and domesticated animals mentioned in the Book of Mormon. The food source of these animals alone show the ability for millions to have been feed during Book of Mormon time frames. In south Mesoamerica there are only migratory butterflies and turkies and it seems a challenge to feed on Apes, Llamas, and Lizards for survival.
Mesoamerica also lacks the necessary animals needed to live the Law of Moses such as Sheep, Goats, Rams, Bullocks, and Doves.
