Dicotyles tajacu
Southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and south Texas brush. Travels in small bands. Small blunt tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches, rounder than deer.
What does a collared peccary look like?
Gray, pig-like, with a pale collar. Not a baby feral hog, which lacks the collar and is usually with a larger sow.
What do collared peccary tracks look like?
A miniature, blunt hog-like print. A band leaves a mess of overlapping tracks.
- Small blunt tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches, rounder than deer
- Often a cluster of many small tracks, not one animal
- Pale collar over the shoulders if seen
- Musky smell at a bedding site
- Droppings are small segmented piles
What does collared peccary poop look like?
Small piles of segmented droppings in brush and washes. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and south Texas brush. Travels in small bands. Typical places: desert, woods. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not handle droppings
- If the animal is injured or inside a building, call a local wildlife officer
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Feral hog identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
Where do javelina live?
Brush and desert in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and south Texas.
How to tell a collared peccary from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Feral hog. Blunter and rounder than deer. Coarse hair, long snout, small eyes.
Collared peccary field marks
- Small blunt tracks, about 1 to 1.5 inches, rounder than deer
- Often a cluster of many small tracks, not one animal
- Pale collar over the shoulders if seen
- Musky smell at a bedding site
Where the sign shows up
Southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and south Texas brush. Travels in small bands. Typical places: desert, woods. Year-round where the species lives. Tracks show best in mud, sand, and snow.
A miniature, blunt hog-like print. A band leaves a mess of overlapping tracks. Small piles of segmented droppings in brush and washes.
Common questions
Where do javelina live?
Brush and desert in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and south Texas.