Mara (Patagonia Cavy)
NAME:
Mara (Patagonia Cavy)
ZOO NAME:
Pancho & Villa
CLASS:
Caviidae
ORDER:
Rodentia
GENUS:
Dolichotis
SPECIES:
Patagonum
LENGTH:
2.5 ft long with 2″ tail
WEIGHT:
Up to 35 lbs
LIFESPAN:
Up to 10 years in captivity
DIET:
Herbivore. Vegetation, leaves, grass.
RANGE
The pampas of central and southern Argentina.
HABITAT
Cavies occur in open scrub desert and grasslands. They shelter in burrows they dig or in abandoned burrows of other animals. They are terrestrial and diurnal (ground dwelling and active during the day).
BEHAVIOR
Cavies use a variety of movements: walking, hopping as a rabbit does, galloping, and stotting (a sort of bouncing on all four limbs at once). At rest, they sit in a dog like fashion – on the haunches with the forelegs straight. The vocalizations include a “wheet” for seeking contact and a grunt used as a threat. Foraging and feeding can be a dangerous time for cavies, since it leaves them more vulnerable to attacks from predators. Therefore, one of the pair remains alert (usually the male) while feeding. Due to the high amount of energy a female uses in bearing and nursing her young, she has to spend a far greater part of the day feeding than the male; time during which her head is lowered and her vigilance for predators impaired. On the other hand, the male spends a larger proportion of each day scanning and is thus able to warn the female and offspring of danger. Although cavies spend most of their time in pairs, up to 15 pairs become at least superficially colonial by depositing their young at a communal den.
REPRODUCTION
Patagonian cavies are monogamous, mating for life. The female will normally give birth to up to three well-developed pups at the mouth of a communal den. Although newborn pups are moving about and grazing within 24 hours of birth, they remain in the vicinity of the den for up to four months, and are nursed by the female once or twice a day during this period.
THREATS
Habitat loss & competition with the introduced and more adaptable European hare.
