Javelina (Tayassu tajacu)
Number 0013
Javelinas live in the desert southwest, just like me. They travel in herds, and members of a herd smell alike, thanks to the javelinas’ habit of rubbing against their friends to mingle musks. It helps them remember who’s who and keeps them from getting lost, as their eyesight is quite poor. Javelinas, which are also called peccaries, have coarse fur, small hooves, and tough, leathery mouths, which means they can eat prickly pears without hurting themselves.
From what I can tell, although a lot of people think that the javelina’s name comes from the word javelin, the two words are actually unrelated. (This javelina is for my dad.)
Living with urban javelina on the Arizona Game and Fish website.