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Patagonian Mara — printable fact sheet
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Patagonian Mara
Dolichotis patagonum
Dolichotis patagonum is a rodent that has converged on the body plan of a small ungulate. It is a cavy, closely related to the guinea pig, but it stands long-legged, runs at up to 45 km/h, stots like an antelope, and grazes in the open Argentine scrub — an example of what happen…
Did you know?
- Despite being rodents, Patagonian Maras have long, slender legs and can hop like a rabbit, making their movement quite unique among mammals.
- The pairing is so tight that a male will place himself between his mate and any threat and will not desert her even to feed, effectively trading his own foraging time for her safety while she is pregnant or lactating. Maras have a white rump patch bordered in black that flashes when they flee, and they cover ground in a stiff-legged bounce that biologists call stotting, the same signal gazelles use. They defecate at communal latrines and the dominant male will urinate on a female's rump before she is receptive, a mate-guarding tactic that is unmistakable to any rival.
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