BIRDWALKERMONDAY WILDLIFE BLOG

This Blog contains Wildlife, Plants and Bird Photos from Walks, Safaris, Birding Trips and Vacations. Most of the pictures have been taken with my Nikon P900 and P950X cameras. Just click on any image for a larger picture. On the right column under the Blog Archive are the entries by date. Below that under Animal categories all the diffent species of Animals, Birds, Insects and Plants contained in the website are listed. Clicking on any entry will show all the entries for that species.

Showing posts with label PATAGONIAN MARA (Dolichotis patagonum). Show all posts

Wednesday, 16 July 2025

15-7-2025 AMSTERDAM ZOO, HOLLAND - PATAGONIAN MARA (Dolichotis patagonum)

The Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) is a relatively large rodent in the mara genus Dolichotis. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy or Patagonian hare. This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal is found in open and semiopen habitats in Argentina, including large parts of Patagonia. It is monogamous, but often breeds in warrens shared by several pairs.

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 than humerus. The feet are compressed, making them hoof-like, which contributes to Patagonian maras resembling small ungulates, 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 69–75 cm (27–30 in) with a tail of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in). It weighs 8–16 kg (18–35 lb). Unlike most other caviids, such as guinea pigs and capybaras, the anal glands of the mara are between the anus and the base of the tail rather than being anterior to the anus.