The Chacoan mara ( Pediolagus salinicola) or Chacoan cavy is a relatively large rodent of the cavy family.
Taxonomy
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.
Habitat
The Chacoan mara lives in the South American
Gran Chaco, the dry thorny forests and grasslands of
Argentina,
Paraguay, and
Bolivia. Maras dig a
burrow to sleep in at night.
Ecology
The Chacoan mara eat grasses and other herbage. They will eat nearly any available vegetation. Specifically, they select
, grasses, succulents, and trees in the dry season and grasses in the wet season.
Annual forbs are eaten in the wet season as well.
Despite the Chaocan cavy's close resemblance and coexistence to the Patagonian mara, they have a broader niche to allow coexistence with its relative.
Chacoan maras live in small groups of up to four animals.
