Dolichotis

Dolichotis is a genus of the cavy family of rodents.[1] These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina, but also live in Paraguay and elsewhere in South America. It contains a single extant species, the Patagonian mara, which is the one of the largest rodents in the world after the two species each of capybaras and beavers, and the large species of porcupines, reaching about 45 cm (18 in) in height.

Dolichotis
A male Patagonian mara
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Caviidae
Subfamily: Dolichotinae
Genus: Dolichotis
Desmarest, 1820
Type species
Cavia patachonica
Species

The Chacoan mara has and sometimes still is also considered a member of this genus. However, a 2020 study by the American Society of Mammalogists found significant difference between the two mara species to warrant placing it in the genus Pediolagus.[2]

Etymology

Dolichotis means "long-eared" (from dolicho- "long" and ōt- "ear") in Ancient Greek.[3]

Species

One extant and two extinct species of in this genus are recognized:

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Dolichotis patagonumPatagonian maraArgentina
Fossil species
  • †D. intermedia Ameghino, 1889
  • †D. platycephala Ameghino, 1889

Fossils are known from Argentina:[4]

  • Patagonian mara at the Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio, Texas
    Patagonian mara at the Wildlife Ranch in San Antonio, Texas
  • A pair of Patagonian maras at the Melbourne Zoo
    A pair of Patagonian maras at the Melbourne Zoo
  • Close-up of a Patagonian mara
    Close-up of a Patagonian mara
  • Mara at Tropical Wings
    Mara at Tropical Wings

References
  1. Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1555. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. Campo, D.H. (2020). "Integrative taxonomy of extant maras supports the recognition of the genera Pediolagus and Dolichotis within the Dolichotinae (Rodentia, Caviidae)". Journal of Mammalogy. 101 (3): 817–834. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaa038.
  3. "Dolichotis". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. "Dolichotis Desmarest 1820". Fossilworks. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
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