All items sold on this website are polyurethane resin replicas, made in USA. No real or natural bone is available on this site.
Dolichotis patagonum Skull Replica measures 5.1 inches. Dolichotis patagonum Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. California Academy of Science specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Known as the Patagonian mara.
The Patagonian mara or Dolichotis patagonum is a relatively large rodent in the mara genus Dolichotis. It is also known as the Patagonian Cavy, Patagonian Hare, or Dillaby.
This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal is found in open and semiopen habitats in Argentina, including large parts of Patagonia. It is monogamous, but often breeds in warrens shared by several pairs.
The Dolichotis patagonum resembles a jackrabbit. It has distinctive long 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. The fore feet have four digits while the hind feet have three digits.
The Dolichotis patagonum 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 Dolichotis patagonum are largely herbivorous. They feed primarily on green vegetation and fruit. In the Monte Desert, monocots make up 70 percent of their diet, while dicots make up 3o percent.
Preferred grass species eaten by the Dolichotis patagonum are those of the genera Chloris, Pappophorum, and Trichloris, while dicots that are eaten include Atriplex lampa, Lycium spp., and Prosopis spp.
Maras are primarily diurnal and around 46% of their daily activities involve feeding. Their temporal activity rhythms are related to environmental factors. Light, precipitation, and temperature have positive effects on annual activities, while darkness and relative humidity have negative effects.
The Dolichotis patagonum make a number of vocalizations during grazing or slow locomotion. When seeking contact, a mara emits an inflected “wheet” while a low, repetitive grunt is made when following a conspecific.
Maras tooth chatter and emit low grunts when threatened. They also produce a series of short grunts when grooming.
