Animal Fact Sheet
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Collared Peccary a.k.a. javelina
Tayassu tajacu
What does it look
like?
Javelinas have large heads with round, flattened pig-like snouts,
long, slender legs, and a salt and pepper color coat.
- White bands encircling their shoulders give javelina their other
name
"collared" peccaries
- Their sharp, straight tusks point downward, unlike wild pigs'
tusks which are
more visible
- Standing between 12 to 16 inches at the shoulder, javelina reach
approximately 30 inches long, and weigh between 35 to 55 pounds.
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| Where
in the world?
Javelina live in brushy regions in the southwestern United States
from Arizona and New Mexico to Texas, and reach as far south as
northern Argentina.
What are some behaviors?
Males, females and young socialize together. Scent glands below
each eye and another on their backs are used to mark herd territories
from 75 to 700 acres. Javelina also mark other herd members with
these scent glands during a mutual rubbing display. The pungent
odor allows javelina to recognize other group members, enabling
them to stay together.
They use a wide range of sounds to communicate
including coughing-like noises to collect a scattered group, short
alarm calls, and laughing-like sounds during squabbles with other
family members.
Most active in the cooler parts of the day, early
morning and late afternoon, javelina often play with other family
members.
What about offspring?
Female collared peccaries are sexually mature at 33 to 34 weeks;
males at 46 to 47 weeks. Females may mate with several males, with
adult males establishing a hierarchy. The young remain dependent
on their mothers for about 24 weeks. Lactation lasts 6 to 8 weeks
although the young eat solid food within 3 to 4 weeks. Both parents
and other group members help care for the young, and in the face
of danger, all adults shelter them between their legs. |
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What does it eat?
Peccaries are herbivorous prefering roots, fruit and seeds or in
desert areas, prickly pear cactus. They survive on moisture from
succulent vegetation most of the year. Because of poor eyesight,
javelina locate food with their keen sense of smell, digging up
roots and rooting with their though snouts and hooves.
These animals possess unusual digestive systems
consisting of voluminous gastric pouches, two blind sacs and glandular
stomachs which allow them to digest a high cellulose diet.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
Collared peccaries are often considered pests because they eat and
destroy plantations of yucca, corn, watermelons and legumes. However,
clearance of forest for crops and pastures reduces peccary habitats.
Sometimes localized campaigns have been mounted to eradicate javelina,
and management plans are needed to conserve their population. |
