Sedona, Arizona: They're hairy, stinky, and downright adorable! Meet the Javelina, Sedona's famous pig-like desert dweller.
Otherwise known as the Collared Peccary, the Javelina is one of three species of New World peccaries. They look like small, very hairy pigs, with bulky bodies perched on short legs with dainty three-toed hooves. Their hair is long and bristly, with spiky ruffs around their necks and sometimes on top of their heads. Baby javelina, or piglings, look a little more like domestic piglets, plus a lot of hair.
The word Javelina comes from the Spanish word "javelin" (prounounced: ha vel EEN) meaning spear, a reference to their long, pointed canine teeth. Among the general public there's often confusion about the relationship between Javelina and domestic pigs or other wild boars. While they share some characteristics, the common ancestors of Javelina and domestic pigs parted ways about 30 million years ago. By comparison, humans and apes shared common ancestors as recently as 10 million years ago. They belong to the same order and suborder, but branch off into different families.
Contrary to rumor, they are not at all related to rodents, other than being mammals. Like so many human Arizona residents, the Javelina isn't native to the area. They've slowly migrated north from South America through Mexico and then Arizona for the last couple of centuries. While the Javelina folks back home still reside in South American rainforests, the Javelina of Arizona are expert desert-dwellers, foraging in social groups of 6 to 12 during the early morning and evening, then snoozing in the shade of mesquite trees and rock outcrops during the heat of the day.
