Video: When Javelinas Are Hungry, They'll Even Eat Cactus

PHOENIX, AZ — While javelinas are herbivores — meaning they eat both plants and small animals like birds, mice and lizards — many might be surprised to find out that they apparently eat cactus, too, as shown in this Neighbors app video. Cameras caught three javelinas so hungry they'd even snack on a potted cactus outside a Phoenix neighborhood residence.

The third javelina decides to get serious with the cactus, yanking it from its pot and hoarding it from an approaching javelina who also want to take a bite of the succulent. Does that make the third javelina a pig?

While answering that question might be partially left to one's own judgment, scientifically speaking, javelinas are actually not desert pigs but are classified instead as members of the "peccary" hoofed-mammal family originally from South America, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Javelinas might enter neighborhoods such as the one shown in the video looking for food such as succulent plants or other vegetation, or for birdseed or table scraps. Or they might be searching for water sources like pools or hoses.

To find out more about javelinas and what to do if you see one, access the Arizona Game and Fish Department's website.

Ring, the owner of the Neighbors app, is a Patch advertiser. Patch received no compensation for this article.