Author Topic: Javelina - Is it pork or ..... (Read 1125 times)

S.S. · « **on:** June 30, 2004, 06:34:25 AM »

Rodent!
I live in Ga., and have not had the fortune to hunt
Javelina, But I was watching something on TV and
they stated that Javelina was not even in the same
family as pigs! They said they are a type of rodent!
Look like little pigs to me!
But a 30-40 pound rat with Tusks?
Man that is a nasty thought!
Any of you folks know if they were full of BS or not
on that hunting show!
Just Curious!

dukkillr · « **Reply #1 on:** June 30, 2004, 06:55:18 AM »

javalina are not pigs and they are not rodents... but there is some debate as to what they are exactly... the leading theory seems to be that they are unique from an evolutionary (or creationist) standpoint....

http://bss.sfsu.edu:224/courses/Fall99Projects/peccary.htm

Randy_che · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2004, 07:30:39 AM »

http://web4.si.edu/mna/search_tree_flash.cfm

http://web4.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=246

They are a side branch of the hooved animal class. Not rodents. The first link is very good, as it lets you explore the family tree of the all North American mammals. The second link is the page of the Collared Peccary.

Randy_che · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2004, 07:47:10 AM »

After a little more looking, I found a more detailed taxonomy table. They are in the same family as pigs, but are a different genus (if I remember how the branches go). Family Suina contains Pigs (Genus Suidae) and Peccaries (Genus Tayassuidae) with species of each listed within the genus.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Tree&id=91561&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock

dukkillr · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2004, 04:08:04 PM »

I'm pretty sure they're not in the same family... Javelinas are members of the Tayassuidae Family. True pigs are members of the Suidae Family. they are in the same order, Artiodactyla...

huntsman · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2004, 02:56:24 AM »

Practically speaking, peccaries (javelina) are not in the same family as pigs, but they are more closely related to pigs than they are to the rodents. If you put their relationship on a scale of 0 to 10, with rodents being zero and pigs being 10, peccaries are at about 7 or 8.