Dolichotis patagonum
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) is a rodent in the mara genus Dolichotis. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy or Patagonian hare. This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal is found in open and semi-open habitats in Argentina, including large parts of Patagonia. It is monogamous, but often breeds in warrens shared by several pairs.
The Patagonian mara resembles a jackrabbit. It has distinctive upright ears and long limbs. Its hind limbs are longer and more muscular than its fore limbs and it has a longer radius than humerus. The feet are compressed, making them hoof-like, which contributes to Patagonian maras resembling small ungulates, especially when standing or walking. The fore feet have four digits, while the hind feet have three digits. Its tail is short, depressed, and hairless. It has a gray dorsal pelage with a white patch on the rump separated from the dorsal fur by a black area. In addition, the mara has a white underside with a somewhat orange flank and chin. The typical Patagonian mara has a head and body length of 69–75 cm (27–30 in) with a tail of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in). It weighs 8–16 kg (18–35 lb). Unlike most other caviids, such as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Patagonian Cavy sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 6th most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August, October and December
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Patagonian Cavy in Península Valdés on a given day, against about 20% in July, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Patagonian Cavy sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Península Valdés, in our data
Península Valdés is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Patagonian Cavy sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Patagonian Cavy is recorded against all the mammals logged in Península Valdés (97 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.
