The wild side of javelinas: A close-up encounter

Often, when I lead a photo tour, it’s usually for a specific bird, mammal, or perhaps a couple of species. For example, I recently led a tour to central New Mexico, where the highlighted species were large flocks of snow geese and sandhill cranes. Both birds spend the winter in this region in large numbers, making it an excellent destination to capture images of them.

But for me, it’s not the iconic or most abundant species that often catch my attention. No, it’s usually the species that isn’t common or well-known.

One morning, while looking for something interesting to photograph, I noticed movement ahead on the right side of a one-lane gravel road. It appeared to be more than just a single animal moving in a single file.

Because I’m familiar with the wildlife in this area, I knew the only possibility of several larger mammals moving in a single file would be javelinas (Dicotyles tajacu). (Pronounced ha-vuh-LEE-nuh.) It’s a Spanish word, so the “J” is pronounced as “Ha.”

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Don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize the name of this animal. Javelinas, also called collared peccaries, are pig-like ungulates, meaning they are hooved animals that superficially resemble pigs. They walk using only the middle two digits on each foot, as their other toes are absent.

Despite their appearance, javelinas are NOT related to farm pigs, even though many people assume they are. Javelinas are New World animals found only in Central and South America, as well as parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Full-grown adult javelinas are 3 to 4 feet in length and weigh between 50 and 90 pounds. As you can see, javelinas are much smaller than traditional farm pigs, which can weigh 500 to 600 pounds.

Unlike farm pigs, which have large, floppy ears, javelinas have small, round ears. Pigs have long tails with a tassel of hair, while javelinas have very small, nearly invisible tails. Additionally, javelinas are covered in a thick coat of fur, unlike pigs.

Their stomachs are also different from those of pigs. Javelinas are not ruminants but have three-chambered stomachs and a foregut for fermentation. Without getting too technical, pigs are hindgut fermenters, making their digestive systems very different.

Javelinas are social animals that live in small herds of six to 10. A group of javelinas is called a squadron.

They are omnivores and eat insects, seeds, fruit, roots, grasses, and, in particular, prickly pear cacti. They are also known to eat small mammals or scavenge other dead animals.

When I spotted the javelinas in front of us, I needed to get my group close enough for photos without scaring them away. Fortunately, they were facing away from us as we approached and weren’t looking back, so we quickly moved closer without the javelinas noticing.

Three or four of them crossed the dirt road and quickly disappeared into the thick brush. We thought, “Dang, they didn’t stop long enough for anyone to capture a few images.”

I indicated to my group that we should wait in silence to see what would happen. A few minutes later, one of the adult javelinas emerged from the thick brush on the other side of the road and paused, looking straight at us.

We raised our cameras and captured some amazing images of this unique animal.

The moment lasted no more than a minute before the javelinas were gone. Then came the fun part: explaining to my group of photographers what they had just seen and educating them about the differences between the amazing javelina and the farm pig. Until next time…

Editor’s note: Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart column appears twice a month in the Eden Prairie Local News. Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively across the United States to study and capture wildlife images.

You can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at www.naturesmart.com.