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LynnH | all galleries >> Galleries >> ENJOYING ISOLATION / BIG BEND > Javelinas on the Hillside
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2020 LynnH

Javelinas on the Hillside

Big Bend Ranch S.P. Texas

We saw Javelina herds quite often, but not always easy to photograph in the desert scrub. I got a shot of these two crossing the ridge above.

The collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu), commonly known as the javelina, is found as far south as Argentina and as far north as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Collared peccaries are in the even-toed, hoofed mammal order of Artiodactyla. Javelina are mistaken for pigs, but they are in a different family than pigs.
Javelinas drink water when it can be found, but it is not essential if succulents are available.
Succulent prickly pear pads make it possible for javelinas to survive until rainfall provides additional new annual food plants and water sources.

Sony Alpha α77 II
1/2500s f/8.0 at 60.0mm iso500 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Mairéad23-Jan-2021 20:46
Cool shot - never heard of them before. V
John Hamers23-Jan-2021 18:52
Great capture of these peccaries in this setting. Didn't know Javelina is their common name in the US. !V
Walter Otto Koenig23-Jan-2021 17:37
Lucky you got a shot of them. They are quite elusive. "V"
Helen Betts23-Jan-2021 06:00
A great shot of these animals that I've never even heard of. At first glance, they did look like pigs. V.
Fong Lam23-Jan-2021 04:06
Such a fortunate encounter...great that they're on higher ground and have them photographed against the azure sky...V
globalgadabout23-Jan-2021 02:50
sharp shooting to catch them slipping away yet standing out clearly against the sky...they must be hardy, especially if depending on prickly pear pads...ouch..
Alan K23-Jan-2021 02:09
Also, pigs have more sense to be out in the heat like that. It's still amazing how many things - both plants and animals - can make a living in a landscape like this as this shot attests rather well.
larose forest photos23-Jan-2021 02:07
They are interesting animals and I know how skittish they are! This is a pretty cool shot because they is how you often see them, vanishing.... Love the cactus-filled landscape here. V