This javelina is ready to cuddle! Perfect for Texas and American nature stores, zoos, gift shops, and animal attractions! Few animals are misidentified as often as the Collared Peccary (Tayassu tajacu), more commonly known in Texas as the javelina. This 40-60 pound stocky even-toed mammal might look like a domestic pig or wild boar, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Javelinas have evolved separately from wild pigs for almost 40 million years; they are biologically different and even classified in a separate family. Javelinas are native to South Texas, with their habitat ranging from Arizona down through Mexico and Central America.