Scientific name: Dolichotis patagonum

Weight: 7-9 kg

Dimensions: 60-80 cm

Population: Unknown but decreasing

Life span: 14 years under human care

Gestation: 100 days

Newborns: 1-2

Social structural: 1-29 pairs

Habitat: grasslands and bushy deserts

Sustenance: herbivorous – grass, various vegetation

Category: Mammal

Origin: Argentina

Threats: destruction of their habitat, hunting for their skin, feeding competition with imported herbivorous animals, disease from the import of the European rabbit.
IUCN status: Almost extinct

Information: In contrast to other rodents, the mara is monogamous. The bonding of the pair is maintained largely by the male which follows the female everywhere. He marks her with urine, emits odor from his rectal glands around her and defends her territory. Therefore, the area around the female mara is a moving fort.