The javelina, also known as the collared peccary, is a unique mammal native to the Americas that often causes confusion regarding its identity. Many people mistake this bristly, medium-sized animal for a wild pig or a wild boar, especially in the American Southwest where it is common. The confusion is understandable due to its pig-like snout and stocky body. This article clarifies the biological classification of the javelina and examines the specific anatomical and behavioral traits that define this creature.
Peccaries, Not Rodents: Defining the Javelina’s Classification
The javelina is definitively not a rodent, which belongs to the separate mammalian Order Rodentia. The collared peccary belongs to the Order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates, which includes animals like deer, cattle, and true pigs.
Javelinas are classified into their own distinct family, Tayassuidae, known as the peccaries or New World pigs. This separates them from the family Suidae, which contains true pigs and Eurasian wild boars. Though they share a common evolutionary ancestor, the javelina has followed a separate biological path for millions of years.
Key Anatomical Features
Several physical traits differentiate the javelina from true pigs. The upper canine teeth are modified into short, straight tusks that point downward, unlike the outward and upward-curving tusks of true pigs.
These tusks are continuously sharpened by rubbing against the lower canines, and they are used for defense and tearing tough vegetation like prickly pear cactus. As an even-toed ungulate, the javelina has four toes on the front feet but only two functional toes on the hind feet.
The javelina possesses a complex digestive system featuring a three-chambered stomach, which is more intricate than the simple stomach of true pigs. This complex fore-stomach allows the javelina to efficiently break down the fibrous plant matter in its diet.
A prominent characteristic is the dorsal musk gland located on the lower back, several inches above the tail. This gland secretes a pungent, musky, oily substance used for communication, leading javelinas to sometimes be called “musk hogs.”
Habitat and Social Behavior
The collared peccary’s range is extensive, stretching from the Southwestern United States, including Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, down through Central America, and into northern South America. They are highly adaptable, thriving in semi-arid brushlands, deserts, and scrub forests.
As omnivores, their diet primarily consists of roots, tubers, seeds, and various cacti, with prickly pear being a significant food source.
Javelinas are highly social animals that live in stable family groups known as herds or sounders, typically consisting of two to more than 20 individuals. They rely heavily on their strong sense of smell because their eyesight is poor.
The dorsal scent gland is used for territory marking and identifying group members. Herd members often rub their glands against each other to share scent, creating a unified group odor. When disturbed, javelinas may emit a warning scent and make a chattering noise by rubbing their tusks together to deter predators.