{"id":21473,"date":"2023-03-18T00:01:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-18T07:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=21473"},"modified":"2023-03-15T18:30:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T01:30:21","slug":"wildlife-in-the-southwest-javelina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/03\/18\/wildlife-in-the-southwest-javelina\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife in The Southwest: Javelina"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Mike Huber<\/h6>\n

Having grown up in Maine I spent most of my childhood experiencing life up close with nature. I have always been drawn to the unique wildlife in different regions of our country.\u00a0 In the Southwest this is especially true as the terrain is so different than Maine, or really anywhere else I have traveled. \u00a0Many people think desert and cactus, sand, maybe an old cow skull on a fence post and envision a region void of life.\u00a0 This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.\u00a0 Once you get out exploring this fragile ecosystem it\u2019s easy to see and hear how much life there is in this harsh environment.<\/p>\n

One of the coolest animals I have seen along my travels is the javelina.\u00a0 These beady eyed little critters look very similar to boars or wild pigs but are actually in the rodent family.\u00a0 If you are in the desert during a full moon and the wind is just right, and if you are lucky, you can hear a pack of these little guys chomping up prickly pear cactus and tearing up people\u2019s lawns.\u00a0 They are a little local gang of hoodlums causing mischief throughout the neighborhood and then disappearing into the thick desert underbrush as quickly as they appeared from it.\"\"<\/p>\n

The first time I saw javelina was while camping along the Arizona and Mexican border.\u00a0 Sleeping in a tiny one-man tent I woke up to what I thought were wild horses munching on some leaves.\u00a0 The sound got louder and closer as whatever it was moved in on my position. I wasn\u2019t quite sure what to do but wanted to be certain I wasn\u2019t trampled by horses in my tent (that\u2019s one way to end the story). I popped out of my tent and flicked my flashlight on.\u00a0 What I saw was about 10 pairs of beady little eyes staring back at me and snouts wiggling in all directions.\u00a0 Not having any idea what these things were and not being armed I began shouting at them \u201cQuit screwing around!\u201d\u00a0 Little did I know that is the exact command they understood and followed.\u00a0 After a few moments of a harrowing standoff, they took the hint and went around my tent without missing one leaf. The strange-looking beasts made their way into the rugged desert terrain as I stood outside my tent still trying to figure out what had just marched through my campsite.<\/p>\n

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Frequently wintering in the southwest I am now very accustomed to these little troublemakers, and it always brings me great joy in seeing them marching across the street like the Beatles on the Abbey Road Album cover.\u00a0 On more then one occasion when I see them in the backyard, I will close the gate and jokingly say \u201cWe got us a petting zoo!\u201d\u00a0 In my experience the javelina are pretty focused on obtaining food and don\u2019t pay much attention to us humans being near them. except if you move quickly, make loud noises, or they have babies in their herd.<\/p>\n

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So, whether these little Star Wars looking creatures are hanging out around my campsite in the middle of the desert or foraging through the neighbors\u2019 yards, they are a pleasant reminder that the environments I travel through change in many ways. The javelina are a vital part of the desert\u2019s fragile ecosystem that we are guests in to enjoy and embrace.<\/p>\n