History of the Przewalski's Horse
History of the Przewalski’s Horse
Paula J. Gedman
English 101
November 26. 2012
Matthew Haynes
History of the Przewalski’s Horse The first species of wild horses was documented to exist 55 million years ago. The Tarpan horse and the Przewalski’s (Sheh-val-skee) Horse were the last subspecies of wild horses. Today the Przewalski’s Horse is the only true subspecies of the ancestral stock. The photograph below shows two of the Przewalski’s Horses grazing at The Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Center (Xia & Shan, 2012). With the help of human interaction, the wild horse that nearly became extinct is surviving.
The first species of horse were called Eohipppus (ee-oh-hip-uhs), meaning “dawn horse”. These first horses roamed North America during the Eocene (ee-uh-seen) Epoch. Nearly whole skeletons were found in Wyoming in 1867. Evidence of the Eohippus was also found in the 1930s in Europe. The modern horse Equus (eck- wuss) evolved from the Pliohippus during the Pliocene (plahy-uh-seen) Epoch. The Pliocene Epoch ended 11,700 years ago (AMNH, 2012). There were at least 15 species, each evolving into the next. There were many changes during the evolution. One of the changes is the size of the horse. The first horse was the size of a dog at about 15-inches tall, or 3.3H (Hands). The average modern horse today stands about 63-inches tall, or 15.3H. With the change in land mass from wet forest to dryer steppes the horses’ four toes on the forelegs and three toes on the hind legs turned to one toe (or hoof). Each of these toes had a small hoof with padding between them. Having hooves gave the horse more durability and speed to run from its’ predators. The changes in their natural environment required a change in diet from foliage to grasses, which caused the horses’ teeth to change from small flat teeth
Paula J. Gedman
English 101
November 26. 2012
Matthew Haynes
History of the Przewalski’s Horse The first species of wild horses was documented to exist 55 million years ago. The Tarpan horse and the Przewalski’s (Sheh-val-skee) Horse were the last subspecies of wild horses. Today the Przewalski’s Horse is the only true subspecies of the ancestral stock. The photograph below shows two of the Przewalski’s Horses grazing at The Xinjiang Wild Horse Breeding Center (Xia & Shan, 2012). With the help of human interaction, the wild horse that nearly became extinct is surviving.
The first species of horse were called Eohipppus (ee-oh-hip-uhs), meaning “dawn horse”. These first horses roamed North America during the Eocene (ee-uh-seen) Epoch. Nearly whole skeletons were found in Wyoming in 1867. Evidence of the Eohippus was also found in the 1930s in Europe. The modern horse Equus (eck- wuss) evolved from the Pliohippus during the Pliocene (plahy-uh-seen) Epoch. The Pliocene Epoch ended 11,700 years ago (AMNH, 2012). There were at least 15 species, each evolving into the next. There were many changes during the evolution. One of the changes is the size of the horse. The first horse was the size of a dog at about 15-inches tall, or 3.3H (Hands). The average modern horse today stands about 63-inches tall, or 15.3H. With the change in land mass from wet forest to dryer steppes the horses’ four toes on the forelegs and three toes on the hind legs turned to one toe (or hoof). Each of these toes had a small hoof with padding between them. Having hooves gave the horse more durability and speed to run from its’ predators. The changes in their natural environment required a change in diet from foliage to grasses, which caused the horses’ teeth to change from small flat teeth