Wednesday, March 25, 2009

ABC Wednesday - J

Once again, it's time for ABC Wednesday. This time I actually have a post that relates to the letter of the week!

J is for Javelina


Javelinas are also called peccaries,
and are part of the swine family.
Before we came to New Mexico,
I had never heard of Javelinas,
but they seem to be pretty common
in this neck of the woods.
They grow up to about ninety pounds
and apparently can be pretty fierce.

We have seen Javelinas in the wild,
but the only time we had a chance to take a photo
was during this visit to
the Living Desert outside of Carlsbad, New Mexico.


I love this photo of this Javelina relaxing in the sun.
There is some talk that the Javelina
might be related to the hippopotamus!

If you want to see a Javelina in a larger photo,
click on any image.

9 comments:

spacedlaw said...

Cute critters (although, like their cousins the boars, it is probably a good idea not to upset them). I did not know they were also called Javelinas.

photowannabe said...

Perfect and original post for J. I'll bet you are the only one with Javelina for the J word.

Sylvia K said...

I bet you're the only one with a Javelina, too! But what a perfect choice for the "J" day! Great shots!

EG CameraGirl said...

Javelinas are totally new to me. Thanks for the photos and information!

Mara said...

Wow, what a cute looking animal! I've never heard of it, so I've learned something new as well.

Carol said...

Good J post...I never knew of Javelinas either...they are very unusual looking animals..enjoyed the info..

Tumblewords: said...

Great choice of J - I think it's probably wise to photograph them somewhere besides the wild. I've heard they can be truly vicious.

pictureeachday said...

Ooh, what a great 'J' post!! I don't think I have even seen a javelina in captivity before. Their fur is so coarse that it almost looks like porcupine quills to me.

Anonymous said...

I have heard of peccaries, but didn't know they were also called Javelinas! Great 'J'!

What a very strange looking creature, though. His head is so huge compared to his body, and his legs so thin. Why doesn't he tip over and land on his nose?