COLLARED PECCARY

A distant cousin of the domestic pig, the collared peccary has a similar barrel-shaped body with daintier legs and feet. Peccaries are sociable and often travel in herds of a dozen or more. In the dry scrublands of southern Texas and Arizona they dine on agave and prickly pear cactus. To avoid the spines, they often pin down cactus pads with their hooves and peel the skin with their teeth, exposing the juicy pulp.