Javelina of Tubac #24
Tubac, Arizona.
Tubac is one of oldest surviving historic villages in southern Arizona and has evolved into an artist community.
Currently there is a project where about 50 casts of a sculptured javelina have been individually decorated and scattered around the area. This project is similar to many others is towns across America over the past several decades. Some local icon is multi-produced, individually decorated and dispersed at visible locales. Examples are the cows of Kansas City, buffalo in Cody, Wyoming and gutars in Tupelo, Mississippi (birthplace of Elvis Presley).
For those who are unfamiliar with the javelina, this animal looks like a wild pig but is not. They are a species known as peccary. A peccary is a medium-sized pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America and in the southwestern area of North America.
They have mainly short coarse salt and pepper colored hair, short legs, and a pig-like nose. The hair around the neck/shoulder area is lighter in color giving it the look of a collar. Javelina have long, sharp canine teeth which protrude from the jaws about an inch.
In southern Arizona javelina are generally seen as pests who come in the night in small groups to graze on prickly pear cactus and, if available tender plants, fallen fruit and insects.
Javelina of Tubac #24
Tubac, Arizona.
Tubac is one of oldest surviving historic villages in southern Arizona and has evolved into an artist community.
Currently there is a project where about 50 casts of a sculptured javelina have been individually decorated and scattered around the area. This project is similar to many others is towns across America over the past several decades. Some local icon is multi-produced, individually decorated and dispersed at visible locales. Examples are the cows of Kansas City, buffalo in Cody, Wyoming and gutars in Tupelo, Mississippi (birthplace of Elvis Presley).
For those who are unfamiliar with the javelina, this animal looks like a wild pig but is not. They are a species known as peccary. A peccary is a medium-sized pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America and in the southwestern area of North America.
They have mainly short coarse salt and pepper colored hair, short legs, and a pig-like nose. The hair around the neck/shoulder area is lighter in color giving it the look of a collar. Javelina have long, sharp canine teeth which protrude from the jaws about an inch.
In southern Arizona javelina are generally seen as pests who come in the night in small groups to graze on prickly pear cactus and, if available tender plants, fallen fruit and insects.