Six species were known, the most famous being Mylohyus nasutus, also known as the long-nosed peccary. The genus was slightly larger-bodied than any modern peccaries, with an estimated mass of 68 kg (150 lb).[1]
Isotope and anatomical studies have suggested that the diet of Mylohyus varied over geological time, from being primarily a C3browser during the Blancan, with an increasing consumption of C4 vegetation during the Irvingtonian, with a relatively even mixture of C3 and C4 during the Rancholabrean. Suggestions have been made that it was frugivorous and also consumed hard browse like twigs.[2]Mylohyus was able to coexist with close phylogenetic relatives because of efficient niche partitioning between it and other genera of peccaries.[3]
