The Patagonian mara (''Dolichotis patagonum'') is a relatively large

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

in the

mara Mara or MARA may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Mara (''Doctor Who''), an evil being in two ''Doctor Who'' serials * Mara (She-Ra), fictional characters from the ''She-Ra and the Princesses of Power'' and ''The New Advent ...

genus ''Dolichotis''. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy or Patagonian hare. This

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically evolved to feed on plants, especially upon vascular tissues such as foliage, fruits or seeds, as the main component of its diet. These more broadly also encompass animals that eat n ...

, somewhat

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

-like animal is found in open and semiopen habitats in

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, including large parts of

Patagonia Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...

. It is

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

, but often breeds in warrens shared by several pairs.

Description

The Patagonian mara resembles a jackrabbit. It has distinctive upright ears and long limbs. Its hind limbs are longer and more muscular than its fore limbs and it has a longer

radius In classical geometry, a radius (: radii or radiuses) of a circle or sphere is any of the line segments from its Centre (geometry), center to its perimeter, and in more modern usage, it is also their length. The radius of a regular polygon is th ...

than

humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...

.Campos. C. M., Tognelli. M. F., Ojeda. R. A., (2001) Dolichotis patagonu, ''Mammalian Species'', 625:1-5 The feet are compressed, making them hoof-like, which contributes to Patagonian maras resembling small

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Euungulata ("true ungulates"), which primarily consists of large mammals with Hoof, hooves. Once part of the clade "Ungulata" along with the clade Paenungulata, "Ungulata" has since been determined ...

s, especially when standing or walking. The fore feet have four digits while the hind feet have three digits. Its tail is short, depressed, and hairless. It has a gray dorsal pelage with a white patch on the rump separated from the dorsal fur by a black area. In addition, the mara has a white underside with a somewhat orange flank and chin. The average Patagonian mara has a head and body length of with a tail of . It weighs . Unlike most other caviids, such as

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'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...

s and

capybara The capybara or greater capybara (''Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris'') is the largest living rodent, native to South America. It is a member of the genus '' Hydrochoerus''. The only other extant member is the lesser capybara (''Hydrochoerus isthmi ...

s, the

anal gland The anal glands or anal sacs are small glands near the anus in many mammals. They are situated in between the external anal sphincter muscle and internal anal sphincter muscle. In non-human mammals, the secretions of the anal glands contain most ...

s of the mara are between the anus and the base of the tail rather than being anterior to the anus.

Ecology and activity

Patagonian maras are found only in Argentina, from 28 to 50°S. They prefer to live in habitats with shrub cover, but they also inhabit overgrazed and barren soils in the

Monte Desert The Monte Desert is a South American desert, lying entirely within Argentina and covering approximately the submontane areas of Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, San Luis and Mendoza Provinces, plus the western half of La Pampa Province and the ext ...

biome. In northwestern Argentina, they primarily inhabit lowland habitats such as forest and

creosote Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood, or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics. Some creosote types w ...

bush or ''

larrea ''Larrea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. It contains five species of evergreen shrubs that are native to the Americas. The generic name honours Bishop Juan Antonio Hernández Pérez de Larrea, a patron of ...

''. Maras prefer sandy and low shrub habitat in

Valdes Peninsula Valdez or Valdés may refer to: People *Valdez (surname) *Valdés (surname) * Valdez (Brazilian footballer) (born 1943), a Brazilian former footballer * Valdez Demings, U.S. politician Geography * Valdés, Asturias, Spain *Valdez, Alaska Vald ...

. They have adapted well to a cursorial lifestyle on the open plains and steppe, with long legs, reduced

clavicle The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the scapula, shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavic ...

, and well-developed sensory organs making them capable of running and communicating in these open habitats. When running, maras have been compared to deer and

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

.Smythe. N., (1970
"On the existence of pursuit invitation signals in mammals"
''American Naturalist'' 104(938): 491-94. Maras are largely

. They feed primarily on green vegetation and fruit. In the Monte Desert,

monocots Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks a ...

make up 70% of their diet, while dicots make up 30%.Claudia M. Campos and Ricardo A. Ojeda, (1997) "Dispersal and germination of ''Prosopis flexuosa'' (Fabaceae) seeds by desert mammals in Argentina", ''Journal of Arid Environments'', 35(4):707-14. Preferred grass species eaten are those of the genera ''

Chloris In Greek mythology, the name Chloris (; Greek Χλωρίς ''Chlōrís'', from χλωρός ''chlōrós'', meaning "greenish-yellow", "pale green", "pale", "pallid", or "fresh") appears in a variety of contexts. Some clearly refer to different ch ...

'', '' Pappophorum'', and '' Trichloris'', while dicots that are eaten include ''

Atriplex ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...

lampa'', ''

Lycium ''Lycium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The genus has a disjunct distribution around the globe, with species occurring on most continents in temperate and subtropical regions. South America has the most spec ...

'' spp., and '' Prosopis'' spp. Maras are primarily diurnal and around 46% of their daily activities involve feeding.TABER AB (1987
"The Behavioural Ecology of the Mara"
Dolichotis patagonum. Ph. D. Thesis, Belliol College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. Their temporal activity rhythms are related to environmental factors.Kufner. M. B. (1995) "Temporal activity of the mara (Dolichotis patagonum) in the Monte Desert, Argentina". '' Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment'' 30:37–43. Light, precipitation, and temperature have positive effects on annual activities, while darkness and relative humidity have negative effects. The daily activity of maras is

unimodal In mathematics, unimodality means possessing a unique mode. More generally, unimodality means there is only a single highest value, somehow defined, of some mathematical object. Unimodal probability distribution In statistics, a unimodal p ...

in winter and biomodal in other seasons. Their preferred temperature is around . Females spend more time feeding than the males, due to the demands of gestation and lactation. Males spend most of the day sitting and being vigilant for predators. Predators of maras, particularly the young, are felids,

grisons The Grisons (; ) or Graubünden (),Names include: * ; *Romansh language, Romansh: ** ** ** ** ** **; * ; * ; * . See also list of European regions with alternative names#G, other names. more formally the Canton of the Grisons or the Canton ...

fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

es, and

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

. Maras are also hosts for parasites such as the

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

worm '' Wellcomia dolichotis''.

Social behavior and reproduction

Their social organizations have a unique combination of monogamy and communal breeding.Taber, A. B. and Macdonald, D. W. (1992)
"Communal breeding in the mara, '' Dolichotis patagonum'' "
'' Journal of Zoology'', 227: 439–452. Being monogamous, pairs of maras stay together for life, with replacement of partners only occurring after one's death.Genest, H. & Dubost, G. (1974
"Pair living in the mara ('' Dolichotis paragonum Z'') "
'' Mammalia'' 38: 155-162. The male has almost the sole responsibility in maintaining the pair by following the female wherever she goes. A male marks his female with urine and marks the ground around her with secretions from his glands and with feces, making the grounds around the female a mobile territory. Pairs breed together alone or with other pairs in warrens shared by up to 29 pairs. Maras breed, at least in southern Argentina, from August to January. Gestation lasts 100 days in wild. Most births in Patagonia occur between September and October, which is before the summer dry season and after the winter rains. Females produce one litter each year in the wild, but can produce as many as four litters a year in captivity. Young can walk almost immediately

postpartum The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to last for six to eight weeks. There are three distinct phases of the postnatal period; the acute phase, lasting for six to twelve hours after birth; the ...

Dens are dug during the breeding season for the young to be raised. Litters from one to 22 pairs are grouped together in these dens. Communal living provides protection from predators with the survival rate for young being higher in larger groups than in smaller groups. One pair visits the den at a time for around one hour and the other parents circle around the den.U. GANSLOSSER, S. WEHNELT (1997
"Juvenile development as part of the extraordinary social system of the ''Mara Dolichotis patagonum'' (Rodentia: Caviidae) "
''Mammalia'' 61:3-15. One or two pups are nursed at a time by a female. A female may sometimes nurse a young from another pair. While a female may prevent young other than her own from nursing her, some young are able to steal milk. Mothers do not actively cooperate in raising their young. For the first three weeks, young remain near the den. At this time, distance between individuals is low, with frequent body contact, huddling, allogrooming, and extended play among the pups. After this, the young are able to leave the den and graze with their parents. Young are weaned after 13 weeks. Maras make a number of vocalizations during grazing or slow locomotion. When seeking contact, a mara emits an inflected "wheet" while a low, repetitive grunt is made when following a

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organism ...

. Maras tooth chatter and emit low grunts when threatened. They also produce a series of short grunts when grooming.Eisenberg, J. F. (1974). "The function and motivational basis of hystricomorph vocalizations". ''Symp. Zool. Soc''. London 34, 211-248. Scent marking is used by maras for complex and intense social interactions. Maras stretch and sniff the soil and then sit upright with an arched back and the anogenital area flattened to the ground, a process known as anal digging. In addition, a male stands on his hind legs and urinates on a female's rump, to which the female responds by spraying a jet of urine backwards into the face of the male. The male's urination is meant to repel other males from his partner, while the female's urination is a rejection of any approaching male when she is not receptive. Both anal digging and urination are more frequent during the breeding season and are more commonly done by males.TABER, B. E., AND D. W. MACDONALD. (1984) "Scent dispersing papillae and associated behaviour in the mara, ''Dolichotis patagonum'' (Rodentia: Caviomorpha) ". ''Journal of Zoology'' 203:298-301.

Status

Patagonian maras are considered to be a

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

species. Historically, maras have ranged from north-central Argentina south almost to

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main is ...

.Rood. J. P. (1972) Ecological and behavioral comparisons of three genera of Argentine cavies, Animal Behavior Monographs 5:1-83. Nevertheless, maras have been greatly affected by hunting and habitat alteration and have been

extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...

in some areas, including

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

. Mara skins have been used for bedspreads and rugs. A population as big as 200 maras lives in the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, in the central part of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

, possibly from escaped pets.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120905133613/http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/fact-mara.cfm {{Taxonbar, from=Q194313 Cavies Mammals of Patagonia Mammals of Argentina Mammals described in 1780 Taxa named by Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann