Patagonian mara

Physical features

• Their dense coats are fine in texture and primarily grayish brown in color with a white patch on the stomach. Their cheeks and chest are a slightly orange color.

• These long-legged rodents are built to run. Their hind legs are slightly longer and more muscular than their forelimbs. Each of their toes (four on front feet and three on rear feet) is equipped with a strong claw. They may reach speeds of about 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour) when alarmed.

• They weigh 16 to 20 pounds (seven to nine kilograms), with males being slightly larger than females. They are generally 24 to 32 inches long, including their short, nearly hairless tails.

• Large ears aid in hearing and thermoregulation.

Diet: Herbivore

• Wild – mainly grasses and leaves but may opportunistically consume fruit

• Zoo – rodent chow, vegetables, browse

Reproduction

• They are monogamous but may rear their young in communal burrows called warrens.

• Estrous lasts for as little as half an hour and occurs a few hours after a female gives birth. Most breeding in the wild occurs from mid-August to December, and females typically produce only one litter per year. In human care, they may produce three to four litters per year.

• Gestation is between 91 and 111 days. Most (about 70%) are twins and about 25% are single births. Triplets are rare.

• The young are precocial, born fully furred with their eyes open. Pups nurse only once a day for about an hour. Nursing occurs only during daylight. They are weaned at 11 weeks.

• Pups spend their first six weeks of life in the den before emerging to forage with their parents. Mortality of pups is high due to predation by felids, grisons (small carnivores in the otter and weasel family), foxes, and birds of prey.

• Females can identify their pups by scent and via vocalizations. They will vigilantly sniff pups before allowing them to nurse, but unrelated pups are often able to steal a few minutes’ worth of milk before being chased off, lunged after, or even bitten.

Interpretive Information

• Patagonian maras may also be called Patagonian cavies or Patagonian hares.

• They form lifelong pair-bonds in which the male and female stay in close proximity but make very little physical contact other than breeding. Females initiate most activities including resting, walking, grazing, and moving toward communal burrows.

• Wild Patagonian maras spend at least 35% of the day grazing. Their teeth grow continuously throughout their lives in response to constant wear.

• Patagonian maras may respond to predators by jumping in the air from all four legs. This behavior, called “stotting,” is typically seen in ungulates (hoofed mammals).

• Home ranges are flexible. Animals will defend their occupied territory until resources are depleted, at which time they’ll move to a new area.

• Females may spray urine toward their mate if he attempts to make contact during nonbreeding encounters. Females may also spray urine toward unrelated pups trying to steal milk. Males may spray their mate if another male attempts to approach her.

• The Pampas biome where they live extends across central Argentina from the Andean foothills to the Atlantic coast, sitting between the Gran Chaco to the north and Patagonia to the south.

• The Patagonia region includes vast areas of steppe and desert and covers most of the southern portion of mainland Argentina. Maras occupy the virtually treeless plains of the northern portion of the region.

Updated December 2019