Mara Maggiore

Posted by Aimee

May 25, 2008

When I saw this in our Aimee’s Animals Flickr group I thought it was cute, but had no idea what it was! Piero was nice enough to send me this explanation:

The maras (Dolichotis) are a genus of the cavy family. They are the sole representatives of the subfamily Dolichotinae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina but live in other areas of South America as well such as Paraguay. Maras are the fourth largest rodent in the world, after capybaras, Porcupines, and beavers, reaching about 45 cm (18 in) in height.

There are two species of maras recognised, the Patagonian Mara (Dolichotis patagonum), and the Chacoan Mara (Dolichotis salinicola). They are known as the pampas hare.

Patagonian Maras are often kept in zoos or as pets and is also known as “Patagonian cavy” or “Patagonian hare”. They can be quite social with humans if raised with human interaction from a young age, though in the wild they avoid humans. Maras may even change their habits from coming out in day to becoming nocturnal, simply to avoid social interaction.

Maras mate for life, and may have from 1 to 3 offspring each year. Mara babies are very well developed, and can start grazing within 24 hours

Pretty cool if you ask me!

cute animals