
iStockphoto / dnsmac
The Javelina isn’t a type of pig that I’m accustomed to seeing in Southwest Florida but it’s a species that can be found throughout the Southwestern United States. Also known as the Skunk Pig, Javelina, or Peccary, this pig is straight-up hauling ass and it has sprinted its way into the Internet’s heart.
This clip of the sprinting javelina is quasi-interesting by itself but once people started setting this clip to random songs it REALLY began to take off on Twitter. This is where it all began, a javelina running in Tucson, Arizona. The tweet went out on February 24th and has since exploded:
A javelina was caught speeding near 22nd and Kolb in Tucson. https://t.co/NPmuBvrATc pic.twitter.com/X1F1StOYVG
— Hannah Tiede (@HannahTiedeTV) February 25, 2020
I first came across the sprinting javelina in this Daddy Yankee ‘Gasolina’ tweet from the @javelinarunning Twitter account which has already amassed over 1,700 followers since this meme began to take off.
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232704417713008642
There were plenty of joke tweets at first before the music tracks were added:
me leaving the office at 4:59:59 https://t.co/UE11mAcpl4
— Isaiah Biggs (@theisaiahbiggs) February 25, 2020
creative directors picking up the scent of anything with awards potential https://t.co/AqLyP4fBog
— R/GA (@RGA) February 25, 2020
This is what peak performance looks like https://t.co/me1zeRxZEm
— Caitlin Welsh (@Caitlin_Welsh) February 25, 2020
Then the music hit and the running javelina meme exploded in popularity. Here are some of the best, so far:
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232756423219654660
A personal favorite of mine:
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232751349630197761
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232701859468541960
This Beastie Boys one just seems to work perfectly:
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232689980360871946
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232677574037442560
https://twitter.com/javelinarunning/status/1232543667807817728
It’s amazing how many of these songs seem to sync up absolutely perfectly with the running javelina, partly because the pig’s body is moving so fast and partly because the speed is so indicative of the desperation that’s communicated in so many of these songs. It’s brilliant.