AKRON, Ohio (WJW) – The Akron Zoo has welcomed a new species to the zoo!
Two female Patagonian maras are now in their new habitat in the zoo’s Legends of the Wild area.
The 6-year-old sisters, Bonita and Bettina, were born on May 13, 2017, at Alexandria Zoological Park in Louisiana and moved to Akron from the Toledo Zoo, according to a press release from the Akron Zoo.
According to the release, Patagonian mara are one the largest rodent species native to Patagonia, a region of South America.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, Patagonian maras are classified as near-threatened.
Patagonian maras have short gray-red fur, long ears and hind legs, short front legs and strong claws for digging. According to the zoo, they average about 17 – 35 pounds and are around 27 inches long.
