Microcavia australis
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The southern mountain cavy (Microcavia australis) is a species of South American rodent in the family Caviidae. Southern mountain cavies are tailless rodents with short, speckled, greyish-yellow fur, fading to pale grey on the underparts. Adults measure around 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length and weigh between 200 and 326 g (7.1 and 11.5 oz). They have large eyes surrounded by a prominent white ring, and small rounded ears. Females have four teats.
Southern mountain cavies are largely restricted to Argentina, but may also be found in some neighbouring regions of Chile and Bolivia. They are found across almost the whole of western and southern Argentina, where they inhabit arid and semiarid lowlands, often close to rivers or in areas dominated by thorn bushes. Three subspecies are currently recognised:
M. a. australis - central western to southern Argentina, from San Juan to Santa Cruz, and parts of southeastern Chile M. a. maenas - northwest Argentina, from Jujuy to La Rioja, and extreme southern Bolivia M. a. salinia - western Argentina, from Catamarca and Santiago del Estero to Córdoba
Southern mountain cavies... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Mountain Cavy sighting in Península Valdés on a given day, based on 52 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 12 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.
February
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Mountain Cavy in Península Valdés on a given day, against about 20% in May and July, the lowest months.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Mountain 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 Southern Mountain Cavy sightings: about 60% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Mountain Cavy is recorded against all the mammals logged in Península Valdés (52 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.
