When the Patagonian Mara Was Still Small

Although information boards are displayed at the enclosure housing the Patagonian maras, just like with our other animals, we often hear visitors speculating about what kind of animal they are seeing. Usually, these speculations result in something along the lines of identifying a mix of rabbit, deer, and kangaroo — all at once. However, the Patagonian mara is not a rabbit, even though it is sometimes called a “pampas hare”, and it has no relation to deer or kangaroos.

This animal is actually a rodent, and a relatively large one at that, as only capybaras and beavers grow larger among rodents. Native to South America, particularly Patagonia, this animal is diurnal and loves sunbathing, something we’ve been seeing more of recently with the maras in our Zoo. It’s a herbivore, with a diet that consists primarily of grasses.

Unusually for rodents, maras form monogamous pairs, and they often live in loose communities consisting of several pairs and their offspring. The females are pregnant for 13 to 15 weeks, and the pups are born relatively developed and grow quickly. Sometimes several parents’ pups are hidden in the same burrow, but of course, the parents always recognize their own.

So far, we have observed four pups among our maras, but we expect more to be born soon. At the moment, you may not always be able to see all of the new arrivals at once, as some may be staying in underground burrows, but as we continue to enjoy more sunny weather, the mara pups will spend more time on the surface, in areas of the enclosure where visitors can easily see them.

In our Zoo, the Patagonian maras can be found in the South America exhibit (Dél-Amerika kifutó), sharing their space with other animals native to the continent, including capybaras and tapirs.