{"id":17309,"date":"2025-08-08T10:17:39","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/?post_type=animal&#038;p=17309"},"modified":"2026-06-08T14:18:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:18:56","slug":"patagonian-mara","status":"publish","type":"animal","link":"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/en\/animals\/patagonian-mara\/","title":{"rendered":"Patagonian mara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Taxonomy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Phylum: Chordata \u2013 phylum of chordates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0Class: Mammalia \u2013 class of mammals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0Order: Rodentia \u2013 order of rodents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0Family: Caviidae \u2013 cavy family<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0Species: Patagonian mara <em>Dolichotis patagonum<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conservation<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"zoo-animal-details\">\n        <div class=\"born-container is-default\">\n            <div class=\"inner\">\n\n                \n                    <div class=\"item\">\n                        <div class=\"icon\">\n                            <img srcset=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/iucn-nt-e1695033767184.png 2x\" alt=\"\">\n                        <\/div>\n                        <div class=\"text\">\n                            IUCN \u2013 NT (Near Threatened) \u2013 nearly threatened species                        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n\n                    \n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Distribution and Habitat<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patagonian maras live in Argentina in dry, open grasslands, steppes, and deserts. They dig burrows in habitats with low grass cover.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-1024x512.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17310\" style=\"width:600px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-768x384.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-350x175.jpg 350w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-600x300.jpg 600w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-580x290.jpg 580w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara-1160x580.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/izplatiba_patagonijas-mara.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Adaptations<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patagonian maras are medium-sized rodents, with a body length of 60 to 80 cm and an average weight of around 8 kg. Males are larger than females. Compared to other members of the cavy family, maras have longer ears and shorter tails, which they keep close to their bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their body shape is similar to that of a hare, allowing them to run very fast\u2014up to 70 km\/h!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their fur is a mix of reddish, grey, and brown tones, with a white underside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Diet<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maras are herbivores that adapt well to the available food in their environment. They mainly eat grasses, especially plants from the <em>Pappophorum<\/em>, <em>Poa<\/em>, and <em>Panicum<\/em> genera. They also feed on various cacti, which are likely an important source of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maras practice a form of re-digestion similar to ruminants. Their food is first fermented by bacteria in the cecum, forming special feces that they eat again to fully digest and absorb the nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Breeding<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patagonian maras are monogamous animals that form lifelong pairs. The male closely guards his mate, staying near her at all times and regularly marking her with his scent (using urine and gland secretions). Both males and females reach sexual maturity at around 8 to 9 months of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The breeding season lasts from August to December. Maras dig burrows, known as breeding warrens, where females give birth and raise their young. Males do not care for the offspring but protect the territory during this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conservation and Threats<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Patagonian maras are mainly threatened by habitat loss, often due to agricultural development, and hunting for their fur. They are also affected by invasive species, such as European hares, which compete with maras for food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their range includes 12 protected areas, and the species is listed on Argentina\u2019s Red List.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>References<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Baldi, R. (2007). Breeding success of the endemic mara <em>Dolichotis patagonum<\/em> in relation to habitat selection: Conservation implications. <em>Journal of Arid Environments, 68<\/em>(1), 9-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roach, N. . 2016. <em>Dolichotis patagonum<\/em>. <em>The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species<\/em> 2016: e.T6785A22190337. <a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2305\/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6785A22190337.en\">https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.2305\/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6785A22190337.en<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AnimalDiversityWeb. Patagonian mara. <a href=\"https:\/\/animaldiversity.org\/accounts\/Dolichotis_patagonum\/#6BA267E3-4B23-40F4-9946-9AABE758A57C\">https:\/\/animaldiversity.org\/accounts\/Dolichotis_patagonum\/#6BA267E3-4B23-40F4-9946-9AABE758A57C<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15796,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false},"animal-category":[],"animal-filter-1":[],"animal-filter-2":[],"class_list":["post-17309","animal","type-animal","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Patagonian mara - Zoo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/en\/animals\/patagonian-mara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patagonian mara - Zoo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Taxonomy Conservation\u00a0 Distribution and Habitat\u00a0 Patagonian maras live in Argentina in dry, open grasslands, steppes, and deserts. They dig burrows in habitats with low grass cover. Adaptations\u00a0 Patagonian maras are medium-sized rodents, with a body length of 60 to 80 cm and an average weight of around 8 kg. Males are larger than females. Compared [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/en\/animals\/patagonian-mara\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zoo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T12:18:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/patagonijas-mara-01-scaled-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patagonian mara - Zoo\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/patagonijas-mara-01-scaled-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-08T08:17:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-08T12:18:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/patagonijas-mara-01-scaled-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/patagonijas-mara-01-scaled-1.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Foto: El\u012bza Lind\u0101ne\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/patagonian-mara\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"S\u0101kums\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Animals\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/animals\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Patagonian mara\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zoo\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rigazoo.lv\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Patagonian mara - Zoo","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rigazoo.lv\/en\/animals\/patagonian-mara\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Patagonian mara - Zoo","og_description":"Taxonomy Conservation\u00a0 Distribution and Habitat\u00a0 Patagonian maras live in Argentina in dry, open grasslands, steppes, and deserts. 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