Morphology of the Scent Gland of the Javelina

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Abstract
The javelina, musk hog, or peccary (Pecari angulatus) possesses a single, relatively large scent gland in the mid-dorsal lumbar area, approximately eight inches anterior to the base of its very short tail (Cahalane, 1947). The secretions of this gland are malodorous, and resemble the scent of the skunk (Carter, 1955; Colter, 1955). The gland is present in both sexes, and reaches a diameter of three inches (Camp, 1948), and a thickness of one half inch (Seton, 1937) in mature animals. The secretions may be used as a means of enabling the young to identify their mother (Cahalane, op. cit.; Hamilton, 1939; Seton, op. cit.), or as a signal device to notify other peccaries of danger. The animals have been observed to rub the gland on low-lying branches, and thus mark a...

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