The Evolution of the Horse
By: David Gutierrez 7G
Introduction
Hello, my name is David Gutierrez and this is my s'more flyer on the evolution of horses.
The following animals are the ancestors of this wonderful animal:
- Hyracotherium: A small dog-like creature which stood at about 0.4 meters tall (about 1.4 feet) and was believed to have lived about 55 million years ago.
- Mesohippus: Sometimes referred to as the "middle horse" lived approximately 37-32 million years ago and was 0.6 meters tall (about 1.6 feet).
- Merychippus: The first of the horse ancestors to start to resemble a modern horse even though it still has 3 toes. It had a long head and long legs which helped it run away from predators. It lived about 17-11 million years ago.
- Pilohippus: This animal is the "grandfather" of today's horses. It stood about 1.25 meters tall (about 4.1 feet) and lived around 12-6 million years ago.
- Equus: Today's modern horse,the only surviving species in the horse family and have been around for about 5 million years and were domesticated about 3,000 years ago.
Some of the Ancestors
Evidence
Why scientists believe horse evolution is real
By examining the fossils they were able to find these similarities:
Forefeet or Toes
Molar Teeth
Skull Shape
Their toes 4 in the front and 3 in the back helped them by coming out in different angles helping them in muddy terrain by allowing them to run much more easily from predators.
Their teeth also cause scientists to believe that horses evolved because Hyracotherium has small teeth which are useful for eating leafs off trees and Equus have bigger teeth that are useful fo eating grass
A horse's skull also increased in size which would have helped a horse see predators in the grasslands.
Fun Facts
A horse's closest relatives are the Rhinos and Tapirs