Javelinas (Look West)

Grunting and grumbling, something scuffles through the desert. A pungent smell hangs in the air. Is it a pig? A hog? A wildebeest? No. It's a collared peccary, better known as a javelina. In Lauray Yule's Javelinas you will also learn that

• They are nearly blind
• Grunting and teeth-popping noises are distinctive to each herd
• Javelina hide was highly coveted in the 1920s and 1930s for in making gloves and jackets
• Their bristles made excellent shaving brushes
• Relative newcomers to the West, javelinas have slowly migrated north from South America

While most humans never see a javelina, they fascinate-and occasionally annoy-Western visitors and residents alike. Roots, prickly pear cactus, garden flowers and garbage are equally attractive to these omnivorous beasts. In spite of their bristly pelts and razor-sharp teeth, javelinas are quiet and family oriented animals and are very tolerant of their frisky piglings.