Today's Sighting

Today was a first. I love it when that happens, especially at this age.

This is our fifth season in this resort out in the desert east of Phoenix and Apache Junction. Every season we have heard there are javelina in the area. Other people have seen them, usually before we come and the resort starts to fill with people. We know of people who live along the desert fence who have seen javelina. But the only one I had seen was a dead one on the road when Kari was here visiting last month. That changed this morning.

I was out on the deck visiting with the neighbor when I noticed several people across the street gather and look toward the green way or walking path. Then I saw a large gray, bristly critter, moving down the asphalt path, heading north. It didn't look like a coyote or a dog. It was...

a javelina. He stopped at the neighbor's yard and rooted in a plastic bag,

until he found a potato.

He gnawed and chewed on it

while several of us stood around and took pictures.

He ate what he wanted and then took off to the east, jumping two 2' rock walls and crossing my back yard. Then he headed north toward the club house.

I wonder if they were serving potatoes for lunch today?

A resort worker told us a javelina had taken a 10 pound bag of potatoes off someone's patio just the other day. I'm thankful the potatoes were left out because he/she came looking for more today and I happened to be outside to see it. This guy was larger than I expected, very much the size of a pig.

From the Britannica Online Encyclopedia: The peccary has dark, coarse hair and a large head with a circular snout. The ears are small, as is the tail, which is generally not visible. Its spearlike canine teeth give the peccary its other common names, javelin and javelina. These teeth do not protrude but make notable lumps in the lips.

Now I know how it got its name. And so do you...