Rabbit with Long Legs? Meet the Patagonian Mara

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At first glance, you might think you’ve spotted a rabbit on stilts. However, this long-legged creature is not a rabbit at all — it’s a Patagonian mara, one of the largest rodents in the world. With a body shaped like a small deer and a head resembling a hare, the Patagonian mara is native to Argentina, where it inhabits open grasslands and scrubby plains, particularly in the central and southern regions.

What is a Patagonian Mara?

The Patagonian mara (Dolichotis patagonum) belongs to the rodent family Caviidae, making it a close relative of guinea pigs and capybaras. It’s often listed as the fourth-largest rodent in the world. On average, a mara measures about 70 cm (27 inches) in length, weighs between 8 and 16 kg (18–35 lbs), and has a short, nearly invisible tail. Early naturalists were struck by its rabbit-like appearance, and even Charles Darwin referred to it as the “Patagonian hare.” But don’t be fooled—rabbits are lagomorphs, not rodents. While maras and rabbits evolved to look alike through a process called convergent evolution, the mara is firmly rooted in the rodent branch of the mammal family tree.

Its coat is a mix of grayish-brown and white, offering excellent camouflage in dry grasslands. A white rump patch, bordered by a black stripe, gives it a look somewhat similar to a jackrabbit. It also has large, upright ears that help it detect predators and may assist with regulating body temperature in the sunny Patagonian climate.

Built for Speed on the Plains

Patagonian maras are built to sprint across open terrain when danger appears. They can run at speeds up to about 45 km/h (28 mph), similar to a galloping deer. When startled by a predator, a mara may perform a high jump, springing straight into the air with all four feet off the ground. This jump, which is more commonly seen in antelopes, might be the mara’s way of signaling that it has spotted a threat, or just an instinctive burst of energy before fleeing. On the run, maras are often compared to deer or antelope for their graceful, bounding strides. They even have hoof-like, compressed foot pads that help them move easily across firm ground.

Why all the athleticism? In the wide open Patagonian steppe, there are few places to hide. Speed is the mara’s best defense against predators like foxes, pumas, smaller wild cats, and birds of prey. A mara’s large eyes give it a broad field of vision, and its long ears swivel to detect the slightest sound. If danger is still far away, maras will often freeze and stay low to the ground to avoid being seen. But if a predator comes too close, they take off in a flash, zigzagging and jumping to throw it off.

Lifelong Love and Unusual Families

One of the most surprising things about Patagonian maras is their love life. Unlike most rodents, which tend to be polygamous or solitary, maras are monogamous. A male and female pair up and stay together for life. Once a mara finds its mate, the two become almost inseparable. The male follows his partner everywhere she goes, acting as her constant shadow and bodyguard. This close companionship has a practical purpose: female maras are only receptive to mating for a very short time, sometimes just a few hours every few months, so the male doesn’t want to miss his chance. By staying close, he ensures he’ll be present when the moment comes.

Interestingly, the female usually leads during the pair’s daily routine, choosing when to graze or rest, while the male keeps watch. He’ll often stand guard on a small rise or trail just behind her, scanning for predators. Males are known to be highly protective of their mates, chasing off rival maras that get too close. They also mark their territory with scent. A male will mark the ground around his partner and may even urinate on her rump to signal that she’s taken. If an unfamiliar male gets too close, the female may spray him in the face with urine — her way of saying “no thanks.”

A Nursery Underground

Now, if maras are so bonded as couples, you might think they’d raise their young alone. But Patagonian maras take a different approach — they practice a rare form of community childcare. Multiple mara pairs often gather to dig a large shared burrow, which serves as a communal nursery where all the mothers leave their young. It’s like an underground daycare. A single den can house the pups of a dozen or more pairs at once, sometimes totaling 20 to 30 baby maras in one burrow. This setup is believed to be a smart defense strategy. With many adults nearby taking turns keeping watch, predators are less likely to grab a pup. More eyes means better safety.

Inside these communal dens, the pups huddle together for warmth and companionship. They are social with one another — cuddling, playing, and even grooming. Mara pups are born highly developed, a trait known as precocial. After a gestation of about 90 days, a newborn mara is fully furred, eyes open, and able to walk within minutes. They usually crawl into the burrow on their own shortly after birth. Unlike rabbit kits, which are born blind and helpless, mara babies are active right from the start.

Even though the pups share a den, parenting still happens on a family-by-family basis. Each mother returns to the burrow just once or twice a day to nurse her own pups. She sniffs each one to make sure she’s feeding the right babies. Mara milk isn’t shared freely. If an unrelated pup tries to sneak a drink, the mother will usually chase it off after a few minutes. In most cases, mothers don’t nurse pups that aren’t theirs, though some bold youngsters do manage to sneak a few extra sips. After nursing and grooming, the parents leave the nursery and resume foraging nearby, often staying close to the other adults. The pups remain in the burrow for about six weeks before they begin to follow their parents and learn how to graze. Once they’re out in the open, they grow fast, and playtime gives way to the more cautious life of an adult mara.

Daily Life: Grazing and Gazing

What does a typical day look like for a Patagonian mara? Mostly eating, scanning the surroundings, and then eating some more. Maras are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, which sets them apart from many other rodents that are nocturnal. In the wild, they spend more than a third of the day grazing on grasses and low-growing plants, much like miniature antelopes. A mara pair will often feed actively in the cool hours of early morning and late afternoon, then take shelter during the hottest part of the day. The Patagonian sun can be intense, so they rest in shaded areas or near their burrows during midday before resuming their grazing later. While resting, they sometimes sprawl on their sides or tuck their legs beneath them, resembling a loafing rabbit in both shape and posture.

As herbivores, Patagonian maras eat grasses, herbs, and leaves from shrubs. Their diet shifts with the seasons. During the rainy season, they prefer fresh green shoots, while in drier months they rely more on coarse grasses, saltbush, and cactus fruit when it’s available. One unusual behavior helps them get more nutrition from this tough diet: coprophagy, the act of eating some of their own droppings. Like rabbits, maras re-ingest partially digested material to absorb nutrients missed the first time. This second round of digestion helps them survive on dry, low-quality plants that most animals can’t efficiently digest.

Like other rodents, maras have teeth that grow continuously. Their constant chewing keeps them worn to the proper length. While grazing, maras often work in pairs: one feeds with its head down while the other sits upright, scanning the surroundings. They take turns as the lookout, so at least one is always watching for danger.

Home on the Patagonian Plains

Patagonian maras are true natives of Argentina. They roam across central and southern regions, including the steppe of Patagonia, the Monte Desert, and the Pampas grasslands. These areas are often semi-arid, with scattered shrubs and large stretches of open ground. Maras favor spots with low shrubs or scrubby bushes for occasional cover, but also need open space to run. They may rest under a bush during midday heat or a rare rain shower, though they’re just as likely to be found lying on bare soil that matches their fur.

Once widespread throughout Argentina’s lowlands, maras have vanished from some areas where they were once common. Today, they can still be seen in remote parts of Patagonia and protected reserves.

Although maras are territorial, they show flexibility when conditions change. A pair usually defends its area from other pairs, but if food becomes scarce or drought sets in, they may shift to a new spot in search of better forage. In harsher seasons, like winter or extreme dry spells, groups of 20 to 50 maras have been observed gathering—likely for safety and improved feeding. Even in these larger groups, bonded pairs tend to stay close together.

Maras help spread seeds by eating fruit and pods, like those of the Prosopis bush, and passing the seeds intact in their droppings. In one Monte Desert study, this digestive process improved mesquite seed germination. Maras also support predators like pumas, culpeo foxes, and large birds of prey, especially when young. And since their burrows are often reused, they create shelter for other animals too, like lizards, burrowing owls, or insects.

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