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A gray-brown Patagonian mara with long ears sitting on red ground.
Photo: Hugo Hulsberg, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Patagonian Mara

Dolichotis patagonum

A long-legged Argentine rodent that looks like a cross between a hare and a small deer and can run 35 miles per hour.

🐭 Rodents
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About the Patagonian Mara

Patagonian maras live in grasslands, shrublands and other dry, open areas of Argentina. They look a bit like hares but are rodents whose closest relatives are guinea pigs and capybaras. Their long legs let them run up to 35 miles per hour, and their big ears help them hear predators and stay cool. They spend more than a third of the day grazing, and their teeth keep growing their whole lives.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Dolichotis patagonum[1]
Weight
16 to 20 pounds. Males are slightly larger.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Grasses and shrub leaves, sometimes fruit.[1]
Habitat
Grasslands, shrublands and other dry, open lowlands.[1]
Where it lives
Central and southern Argentina, including Patagonia.[1]
Group life
Pairs mate for life. Pups share communal burrows.[1]
Babies
Usually two pups, which stay in the burrow for about six weeks.[1]
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Patagonian maras can run up to 35 miles per hour.[1]
  • Up to 30 mara pups may share one burrow.[1]
  • A mara mother nurses her pups only once a day, for about an hour.[1]
  • A mara's teeth keep growing all its life.[1]

Vocabulary

rodent
A mammal with front teeth that keep growing, such as mice, beavers and capybaras.
stot
To jump straight up with all four legs at once, often to warn of danger.
communal
Shared by a group.
monogamous
Having only one mate.
near threatened
A conservation label meaning a species may become threatened soon.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Patagonian Mara.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/patagonian-mara/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Dolichotis patagonum (Patagonian Mara).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6785/22190337 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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