featuring the photography of Paul & Joyce Berquist

Javelina
Tayassu tajacu

The javelina lives in the desert scrub of southern and central Arizona and is most commonly found along creeks and washes. It lives and travels in small herds, and rarely wanders above the oak forests of mountain foothills. Its preferred food is cactus, with prickly pear being the favorite. It eats the cactus pads as well as the fruit. It also eats grasses, agaves, fruits and seeds. During the summer, the javelina will often rest through the heat of the day and feed at night.