This is a featured photo of the month. I will try and update this monthly with a favorite photo.
Common Name: Collared Peccary
Scientific Name: Pecari tajacu
Date Taken: January 27, 2018
Location: Sonoran Desert, Arizona
Photographer: Jan Fletcher
The Collared Peccary, also known as the javelina, is a small, pig-like mammal found throughout much of southern and central Arizona, particularly in desert scrub, grasslands, thornscrub, and rocky uplands. It lives in social groups consisting of several individuals that forage together. Primarily herbivorous, they feed on prickly pear and other cacti, roots, fruits, seeds, and green vegetation, although they may occasionally consume insects or other small animal matter. They are active mainly during the cooler parts of the day in Arizona's hot summers, while winter activity may extend into daylight hours. Breeding can occur throughout the year, and females generally give birth to one to four young after a gestation of about five months. Their principal predators in Arizona include mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, and occasionally humans. Their ability to obtain moisture from succulent plants helps them survive in the arid Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.
