Scientific Name:
Dolichotis patagonum
Distribution
Argentina.
Diet:
Ηerbivorous. Grasses, shrubs.
Facts
Habitat: Arid grasslands, shrub deserts.
Gestation: 100 days, ~2 young.
Social structure: 1 - 29 pairs.
Weight: 7-9 kg.
Dimensions: length: 60-80 cm
Estimated population in the wild: Unknown, decreasing.
Lifespan: ~14 under human care
Threats: Habitat destruction for agriculture, hunting for their skin, competition for food with introduced herbivores such as sheep and the European hare and diseases resulting from the introduction of the European hare.
IUCN Status: Near threatened.
Did you know that:
Unlike other rodents, maras are monogamous. The pair bond is maintained almost exclusively by the male, who follows the female wherever she goes. Males mark females with urine, mark the ground near her with anal gland secretions and feces, and defend the zone around her. Thus, the area around a female represents a mobile territory.