Alternate name: Javelina
Family: Dicotylidae, Peccaries view all from this family
Description Pig-like. Head and shoulders large; legs and hindquarters small. Grizzled grayish or blackish above and below, with yellowish tinge on cheeks; whitish to yellowish irregular collar from shoulder to shoulder. Heavy, bristly hair from head to back erectable into a mane. Inconspicuous tail. Pig-like snout. Tusks (canines) about 1–1 1/2" (3–3.5 cm); only tips protrude beyond lips. 4 toes on forefeet, 3 on hindfeet; all feet have 2 hooves, on the third and fourth toes. Juvenile brownish with black stripe down back. Ht 20–24" (50–60 cm); L 35–40" (87–102 cm); T 3/4–2 1/8" (1.9–5.5 cm); HF 7 1/8–7 7/8" (18–20 cm); Wt 30–65 lb (13.6–30 kg). Scat: Usually large, irregular segments; flattened disks when feeding on very succulent vegetation.
Warning Families with young sometimes charge humans.
Similar Species Feral pig is much larger, less uniformly and thickly coated, with finer, thinner, less shaggy fur; lacks mane and whitish collar; upper tusks curve up instead of down; tail is moderately long.
Breeding Breeds at any time of year, but most births in summer; gestation 21 weeks. 2–6 young, generally twins, born with yellowish or reddish hair. 1 litter per year, although a second can be produced if first is lost.
Habitat Brushy desert, rocky canyons, and wastelands.
Range Southeastern Arizona, extreme se and sw New Mexico, and sw Texas; south to Argentina.
Discussion The Collared Peccary’s activity patterns are strongly related to temperature. Active at twilight and at night in summer, it is much more diurnal in winter. It often beds down in a hole it roots in the earth or takes shelter in a cave during the midday heat; on winter nights, it may huddle together with others of its species. The Collared Peccary is territorial and travels in a herd that ranges from 6 to 30 animals, grunting softly while feeding; peccaries other than the dominant male will help defend the territory. The herd is quite stable, but may break up into temporary feeding subherds for up to several days at a time. As the animals move about, a musk gland on the back exudes a strong skunky or cheesy scent, which probably serves as a bonding mechanism, helping to keep members of the group together. The musk gland also serves as an alarm signal: When a Collared Peccary is agitated, the hairs on its back become erect, uncovering the gland, which then involuntarily discharges scent. This animal’s alarm call is a barking cough; the Collared Peccary can squeal, but does so only if terrified or injured. It prefers to flee danger, galloping away at speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h) and swimming through streams if necessary, but it will fight viciously if cornered.
Primarily herbivorous, this peccary feeds on prickly pear (which provides water as well as food), mesquite fruit, sotol, and agave, as well as other plant species. It roots for tubers but feeds on animal materials only occasionally, eating insects, worms, reptiles, and amphibians. In parts of New Mexico and Arizona, the Collared Peccary sometimes forages at elevations as high as 6,000 feet (1,800 m), moving along the gentler mountain slopes and eating quantities of scrub oak acorns. The dominant male mates with most of the females in the herd as they come into heat. For a few hours to a few days, the male forms a bond with an estrous female and keeps other males away. Subordinate males normally mate only when more than one female is in heat at one time. Breeding occurs at any time of the year because food is abundant year-round in this species’ mild habitat. The peccary has four pairs of nipples, but only the rear two pairs produce milk; while most young mammals nurse alongside their mother, peccaries stand behind to nurse. Peccaries often engage in reciprocal grooming: Two individuals stand side by side, head to tail, each rubbing its head along the rump, legs, and scent gland of the other. This is another behavior thought to reinforce social bonding within the herd.
Life span is 15 to 20 years. Once ranging as far north as Arkansas, the Collared Peccary was extirpated in the northern part of its range by settlers who killed it for its meat and its hide. Now it is hunted as game. The alternate common name, "Javelina," comes from the Spanish jabalina ("spear") and refers to the spear-like tusks.
