also known as: Javelina~Tayaussa~Musk Hog
They weigh: 35-60 lbs.
Their length from the tip of their snout to end of tail: 40-60 in.
They have poor eyesight & good hearing.
They look like small, very hairy pigs.
They are expert desert dwellers.
They forage in groups of 6-12 during early morning & early evening, then snooze in the shade during the heat of the day.
They are called Javelina because of their razor-sharp tusks. (Spanish for javelin or spear)
Their teeth are longer than any other N. American predator. (really?)
Their favorite foods are: prickly pear & agave cactus, but they will eat a variety of desert roots, fruits, bugs, seeds and an occasional lizard.
They stink! They have a gland at the base of their tails that they use to mark trees, rocks & even each other. (that could explain the mysterious bad odor we have smelled occasionally)
When threatened they will stomp, snort & chatter their teeth.
They don't belong in our yard.
We took down our bird feeder.
I will not think it is funny if I see a yellow warning sign for Rattlesnakes!
I couldn't sleep last night thinking about scorpions in my shoes and bed. (thanks Mark!)
Note: refer back to the warning sign for Javelina crossing. Look real closely at the tip of the snout. Do you see the small little red pom-pom? Both signs (one going in the other direction) had those little red puffs. I'm still puzzled by it. Is it a clownish way to make them seem cuter or is it a left over Christmas decoration? (I think of Rudolph too when I see that little creature). I meant to add that to the previous post but got so involved with the fact that they were our guests that I forgot that small little item. If you click on the sign it should inlarge allowing you a closer look. Maybe it is a paint splot.
Leave it up to my dad to plant a bad seed in your mind. The gland/marking/stinky part is pretty disgusting.
ReplyDeleteActually I was thinking about what you might do if you saw a sidewinder (another desert dweller) slither across your path. My other thoughts centered around the days spent at Camp Classen shaking my shoes in the morning looking for a scorpion (that I've heard travels with a partner).
ReplyDeleteI found the blog!! Keep the photos coming. It's so fun to see what your experience is like. And I would FREAK out to see those in my yard. In one week in GA, we saw a wild bunny, squirrels, ducks and ducklings, and a variety of amphibians. It was like living in the jungle.
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