Collared peccary
Tayassu tajacu

Body length: 34-36"
Diet: Prickly pear, mesquite beans, grubs, etc.

Though its official name is collared peccary, in Arizona this species is better known as javelina, a Spanish word pronounced "hav-a-LEEN-ah". Javelina are not wild pigs or boars, which are domestic pigs gone wild. Rather, this native species is the only US member of a mammal family which is widespread in Central and South America. Peccaries differ from pigs in many ways, including the absence of large tusks and their smaller size. Javelina are highly social animals, traveling in family groups or herds of three to eighteen individuals. Each herd has a particular scent, based on musk secretions, that forms the basis for mutual recognition. They are not often seen here during the day, preferring shady areas such as dense vegetation and shallow caves.

Are javelina expanding their range northward? Possibly, as they now occur in northern Arizona in areas where they did not occur historically. However, they have been in southern Arizona at least since the arrival of Europeans.

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