A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina

AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents.

A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates.

How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack has already survived several years in a network of warrens among the dunes.

The UAE's Climate Change and Environment Ministry and authorities in Dubai did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the Patagonian maras' presence. One estimate suggests that as many as 200 could be thriving in the area and the wider Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve nearby, as only a few dead maras have been found.

An AP journalist happened upon at least five maras on a recent visit to Al Qudra Lakes, a vast desert area some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of downtown Dubai. On another visit, he saw multiple packs of the animals, including one mother still nursing a baby.

Al Qudra sits at the end of a long bicycle track popular in the winter months and draws campers and others who enjoy the outdoors in the cooler weather among the area's lakes. Some have been manmade into the shapes of a crescent moon, two hearts or even an advertisement for Dubai's Expo 2020.

The Patagonian maras first appeared publicly in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. A request for information on their sightings first made a summertime issue of the Dubai Natural History Group's monthly newsletter, with volunteers describing them as being seen both in Al Qudra and on Saadiyat Island near the country's capital of Abu Dhabi.

“This large rodent is a common species in zoological collections and undoubtedly found its way out from captivity," wrote Jacky Judas, who long has studied mammals in the UAE, in a chapter in the recent book “A Natural History of the Emirates."

"They can regularly be seen sleeping or eating grass in the middle of roundabouts at Al Qudra. This species is not adapted to live in arid environment, although in the absence of his usual predators, like pumas, it can possibly survive in highly modified habitats with tree plantations, lawns and ponds,” Judas wrote.

That's the exact environment found at Al Qudra — likely contributing to the maras' continued survival there despite temperatures in the UAE regularly reaching 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the summer with high humidity.

The number at Al Qudra also suggests they are breeding. Patagonian maras mate for life and females only enter heat a few times a year for about 30 minutes apiece. They can give birth to one to three offspring at a time. In Argentina, the animals can be hunted and eaten, their fur used for rugs and blankets.

While the Patagonia maras are herbivores and pose no threat to humans, they likely have very few predators at Al Qudra. Arabian red fox do live and hunt in the area.

How the Patagonian maras got there remains a mystery. Maras are on display at the children's section of the Dubai Safari Park zoo, but at the same distance from Al Qudra as downtown. There are surrounding tracts and farms owned by Dubai's elite near Al Qudra, which suggests the maras escaped either overland or through digging their way out of a nearby property.

Patagonian maras, which typically live in central and southern Argentina, have been trafficked into areas as exotic pets in the past. In Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, the appearance of one sparked wide local news coverage earlier this year. However, the animal is now believed by authorities to be dead. In August, a Patagonian mara was found in the trunk of a car carrying other animals trying to enter Turkey from Greece in a suspected trafficking attempt.

Though it is illegal to keep endangered or threatened wildlife as pets in the Emirates, there have been numerous sightings and social media videos of Emirati men in luxury cars accompanied by pet lions along for the cruise. In 2021, authorities put out a warning that a “wild cat” had been seen loose in one neighborhood.

Patagonia maras are seen at Al Qudra Lakes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A Patagonia mara nurses its child at Al Qudra Lakes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A Patagonia mara is seen at Al Qudra Lakes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A Patagonia mara runs at Al Qudra Lakes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A Patagonia mara is seen at Al Qudra Lakes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Carson Benge led the New York Mets to another extra-inning victory, hitting an RBI single and a two-run double during a 10-run 12th inning in a wild 16-7 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

New York became the first National League team to score at least 10 runs in an extra inning since the 1919 Cincinnati Reds broke loose for 10 in the 13th inning at Brooklyn.

The Nationals made four errors and left 19 runners on base, but kept it close until falling apart in the 12th. Paxton Schultz (0-1) retired his first hitter on a sacrifice bunt, but the next six reached base, starting with Benge's infield single off Schultz's glove that put the Mets up 7-6.

Benge scored on Vidal Bruján's bunt single with the bases loaded, Brett Baty added a two-run single and Marcus Semien's RBI single made it 11-6.

By then, things had gone so horribly awry that Washington moved infielder Jorbit Vivas to the mound and put designated hitter José Tena in the field. There was clearly some confusion over whether that would be allowed, with Schultz coming back onto the field at one point, but umpires eventually let the Nats make the move. A.J. Ewing hit an RBI single and Benge added a two-run double off Vivas.

New York improved to 6-4 in extra-inning games, the most any major league team has played this season. The Mets, trying to climb out of an early hole, have won six of seven overall — with three coming in extras. Benge came through with the go-ahead swing in all three.

Schultz received his first career decision in his 27th big league appearance.

Baty and Bo Bichette homered for New York, which led 5-3 before the Nationals scored in the seventh and eighth. Both teams got a run in the 11th.

Huascar Brazobán (3-1) worked through a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the 10th to keep the game tied. After the Mets took a 6-5 lead in the 11th, he allowed an RBI infield single to Joey Wiemer that tied it, but after a double by Vivas put runners on second and third with two outs, the Nationals couldn't push across the winning run.

Baty's 451-foot homer in the fourth cleared the center-field fence and ricocheted off a taller wall that's part of the batter's eye.

Nolan McLean (2-2) starts for the Mets against Washington's Foster Griffin (4-2) on Tuesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Washington Nationals' Joey Wiemer slides into home plate as he scores against the New York Mets on a double hit by José Tena during the second inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

Washington Nationals' Jacob Young, left, is checked by manager Blake Butera, center, and head athletic trainer Dale Gilbert, third from left, after he was hit by a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

New York Mets' Bo Bichette watches his home run against the Washington Nationals during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

From left to right, New York Mets left fielder Tyrone Taylor, center fielder A.J. Ewing, and right fielder Carson Benge celebrate after winning a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)

New York Mets catcher Hayden Senger, left, and pitcher Craig Kimbrel, right, celebrate after winning a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel)