Maras, subfamily Dolichotinae, are a group of rodents in the family
Caviidae.
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 ...
s are common in the
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and ...
n 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, t ...
, 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 souther ...
. There are two extant species, the
Patagonian mara of the genus ''
Dolichotis'' and the
Chacoan mara of the genus ''
Pediolagus''; traditionally this species was also thought to belong to ''Dolichotis'' howeve,r a 2020 study by the
American Society of Mammalogists found significant difference between the two mara species to warrant resurrecting the genus ''Pediolagus'' for it. Several extinct genera are also known.
Description
Maras have stocky bodies, three sharp-clawed digits on the hind feet, and four digits of the fore feet. Maras have been described as resembling long-legged
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...
s. Patagonian maras can run at speeds up to . The Patagonian species can weigh over in adulthood. The average weight of adult male Patagonian maras is and in adult females is .
[Campos, C. M., Tognelli, M. F., & Ojeda, R. A. (2001). ''Dolichotis patagonum''. Mammalian species, 2001(652), 1-5.] Meanwhile, the
Chacoan mara, though still large for a rodent, is much smaller, weighing around .
Most maras have brown heads and bodies, dark (almost black) rumps with a white fringe around the base, and white bellies.
Maras may amble, hop in a rabbit-like fashion, gallop, or bounce on all fours. They have been known to leap up to .
Maras mate for life, and may have from one to three offspring each year. Mara young are very well-developed, and can start grazing within 24 hours. They use a
crèche system, where one pair of adults keeps watch all the young in the crèche. If they spot danger, the young rush below ground into a burrow, and the adults are left to run for it.
[
]
Genera
*'' Dolichotis''
*'' Pediolagus''
*†'' Eodolichotis''
*†'' Pliodolichotis''
*†'' Propediolagus''
*†'' Rhodanodolichotis''
Interaction with humans
Patagonian maras are often kept in zoos or as pets, and are also known as "Patagonian cavies" or "Patagonian hares". They can be quite social with humans if raised with human interaction from a young age, though they avoid people in the wild. Maras may even change their habits from coming out in day to becoming nocturnal, simply to avoid social interaction. In 2021 they had young in Leningrad Zoo of Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Gallery
File:Patagonian Cavy.jpg, Patagonian mara at the Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, Texas
File:Patagonian Cavies, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne.jpg, A pair of Patagonian maras at the Melbourne Zoo
File:Dolichotis patagonum closeup.jpg, Close-up of a Patagonian mara
File:A mara at tropical wings.JPG, Mara at Tropical Wings
References
External links
Patagonian Mara - National Zoo, FONZ
(via archive.org
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music ...
)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q838738
Cavies
Extant Miocene first appearances
Articles containing video clips