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 g ...

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 List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, 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 t ...

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 sou ...

. There are two extant species, the Patagonian mara of the genus ''

Dolichotis ''Dolichotis'' is a genus of the cavy family of rodents. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. It contains a single extant species, the ...

'' and 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 ''Pedio ...

of 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 ''Pedio ...

''; traditionally this species was also thought to belong to ''Dolichotis'' howeve,r 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 w ...

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 sp ...

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

, 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

*''

'' *''

'' *†'' Eodolichotis'' *†'' Pliodolichotis'' *†'' Propediolagus'' *†'' Rhodanodolichotis''

Interaction with humans

Patagonian maras are often kept in

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

s 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") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, 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 Austr ...

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) {{Taxonbar, from=Q838738 Cavies Extant Miocene first appearances Articles containing video clips