''Dolichotis'' is a genus of the

cavy Caviidae, the cavy family, is composed of rodents native to South America and includes the domestic guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent ...

family of rodents. These large relatives of

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'' in the family Caviidae. Breeders tend to use the word ''cavy'' to describe the ani ...

s are common in the Patagonian steppes of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, but also live in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

and elsewhere in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It contains a single extant species, the Patagonian mara, which is the one of the largest

rodents Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are nat ...

in the world after the two species each of

capybara The capybaraAlso called capivara (in Brazil), capiguara (in Bolivia), chigüire, chigüiro, or fercho (in Colombia and Venezuela), carpincho (in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) and ronsoco (in Peru). or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydro ...

s and

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

s, and the large species of

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

s, reaching about in height. The

Chacoan mara The Chacoan mara (''Pediolagus salinicola'') or Chacoan cavy is a relatively large South American rodent of the cavy family. They are a close relative of the better known Patagonian mara. The Chacoan mara is the sole member of the genus ''Pediola ...

has and sometimes still is also considered a member of this genus. However, a 2020 study by the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammals, and professions studying them. There are over 4,500 members of this society, and they are primarily professional scientists ...

found significant difference between the two mara species to warrant placing it in the genus ''

Pediolagus The Chacoan mara (''Pediolagus salinicola'') or Chacoan cavy is a relatively large South American rodent of the cavy family. They are a close relative of the better known Patagonian mara. The Chacoan mara is the sole member of the genus ''Pediola ...

''.

Etymology

''Dolichotis'' means "long-eared" (from "long" and "ear") in Ancient Greek.

Species

One extant and two extinct species of in this genus are recognized: ;Fossil species * †''D. intermedia'' * †''D. platycephala'' Fossils are known from Argentina: *

Montehermosan The Montehermosan age is a period of geologic time (6.8–4.0 Ma) within the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of the Neogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Huayquerian and precedes the Chapadmalalan The C ...

** Andalhuala Formation *

Huayquerian The Huayquerian ( es, Huayqueriense) age is a period of geologic time (9.0–6.8 Ma) within the Late Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification. It follows the Mayoan and precedes the Montehermosan age. ...

** Chiquimil Formation *

Chapadmalalan The Chapadmalalan age is a period of geologic time (4.0–3.0 Ma) within the Pliocene epoch of the Neogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Montehermosan and precedes the Uquian age. Fossil content F ...

Barranca de los Lobos Formation Barranca (Spanish for "canyon" or "ravine"), may refer to: Geography Argentina * Barranca Yaco, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Argentina Chile * Barrancas, Pichilemu, a village in Pichilemu Colombia * Barrancas, La Guajira, town an ...

** San Andrés Formation *

Ensenadan The Ensenadan age is a period of geologic time (1.2–0.8 Ma) within the Early Pleistocene epoch of the Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ...

** Vorohué Formation ** Yupoí Formation * Lujanian **

Luján Formation Luján, Luxan or Luhan, a Spanish people, Spanish surname and given name, might refer to: Tony Lujan Jazz musician.Composer Artist Trumpet And Flughelhorn Born 1956 Albuquerque NM. World Renowned. Extensive Resume. N M Music Hall Of Fame 2020 Ove ...

Gallery

File:Patagonian Cavy.jpg, Patagonian mara at the Wildlife Ranch in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas File:Patagonian Cavies, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne.jpg, A pair of Patagonian maras at the

Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo is a zoo in Melbourne, Australia. It is located within Royal Park in Parkville, approximately north of the centre of Melbourne. It is the primary zoo serving Melbourne. The zoo contains more than 320 animal species from Austra ...

File:Dolichotis patagonum closeup.jpg, Close-up of a Patagonian mara File:A mara at tropical wings.JPG, Mara at

Tropical Wings The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q838738 Cavies Extant Miocene first appearances Articles containing video clips Rodent genera Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Mammal genera with one living species