Josephoartigasia monesi may now be known as the largest rodent to have ever lived, but it still has a number of super-sized extant relatives. The fourth largest of living rodents is the mara (Dolichotis sp.), of which there are two species (the one pictured above is the Patagonian mara, Dolichotis patagonum). Although maras don't look quite like their relatives, perhaps seeming closer to rabbits than guinea pigs, they are true members of the Caviidae, and they are easily kept at zoos. Wild populations of maras are somewhat threatened by habitat loss and competition with introduced rodents, however, although they are still considered to be at lower risk of extinction than many other species around the world.
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Despite tens or hundreds of thousands of years of very strong Natural Selection, wildebeest do not arrive at the Mara River with a genetically determined brain mechanism or module that helps (much) to keep them from being eaten by the crocodiles that live in the river.
tags: African Green-pigeon, Treron calvus,
tags: Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius,