Dissertation Manuscript Outline: Human-Javelina Relations in Texas

Humans and Javelinas: Something Something… I need a title … This study is motivated by the broad pressing question: How do we live in a world full of difference? More specifically, how do our relationships with other beings shape our identities and the course of our shared futures? As we experience increasing precarity associated with…

Dissertation Update: “On Anthropomorphism”

I’ve sent off the first section of my dissertation to my advisor. This section is going in the introduction around the theoretical and methodological foundations of the study.Next stop: “Chapter 1- Contested Actors”

Why I Study Human-Animal Relations as an Anthropologist

Anthropology is the study of humans, or as Dr. Jon Marks says: “the study of who we are and where we come from.” I consider it to be the study of humans and the variety of relationships humans have. These relationships include some of the most obvious: kinship, communities, institutions, businesses, and religions. It also…

Niche Partitioning in Javelinas (Pecari Tajacu) and Feral Hogs (Sus scrofa) in Texas: Research Poster

Javelinas, also known as collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), are the only peccary species native to North America. Despite their porcine appearance, peccaries (Family Tayassuidae) are not pigs (Family Suidae). However, this superficial resemblance between javelinas and introduced feral hogs (Sus scrofa), they are often confused in Texas. Feral hogs are responsible for millions of dollars…

Javelinas and Texas Ebony Trees in South Texas

Texas Ebony trees (Ebenopsis ebano) is a species of legume native to South Texas. These trees produce large bean pods (see below) that ripen and fall to the ground. They provide food to javelinas (Pecari tajacu) and other wildlife. Using the last five years of iNaturalist javelina sightings, I am examining the relationship between javelinas…