Dolichotis salinicola
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The Chacoan mara (Dolichotis salinicola) or Chacoan cavy is a relatively large South American rodent of the cavy family. They are a close relative of the better known Patagonian mara. The Chacoan mara is the sole member of the genus Dolichotis.
Until recently Pediolagus was considered synonymous with Dolichotis and the Chacoan mara was a member of that genus. However, a 2020 study by the American Society of Mammalogists found significant difference between the two mara species to warrant resurrecting Pediolagus. Conversely, a 2021 study indicated that Pediolagus should be included in Dolichotis alongside the fossil species D. chapalmalense, D. major, and D. intermedia, and that the retention of Pediolagus would cause taxonomic issues and confusion for these fossil species. The American Society of Mammalogists and IUCN continue to recognize this species as a member of Dolichotis.
The Chacoan mara lives in the South American Chaco, the dry thorny forests and grasslands of Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Maras dig a burrow to sleep in at night. The Chacoan mara eat grasses and other herbage. They will eat nearly any available vegetation. Specifically... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | The Green Zoo Wuppertal | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 8 | Tierpark Limbach-Oberfrohna | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Тульский экзотариум (новая экспозиция) | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Chacoan Mara sighting in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July and November
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Chacoan Mara in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against about 10% in December, the lowest month.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chacoan Mara sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only El Impenetrable National Park, in our data
El Impenetrable National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Chacoan Mara sightings: about 60% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Caviidae
The closest relatives of the Chacoan Mara that you can see in El Impenetrable National Park (family Caviidae, Cavies) are Capybara (about 40%) and Common Yellow-toothed Cavy (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chacoan Mara is recorded against all the mammals logged in El Impenetrable National Park (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
