Evolution Of Horses Essay

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Many people know of the horses that we see today, but they do not know about the evolutionary history behind them. Over the course of 54 million years, the modern day horses that we know gradually evolved. The evolution of the horse began with the first Perissodactyl, Loxolophus. Loxolophus did not look like a horse at all, but instead like a raccoon. It had sharp-cusped teeth, and was one of the first carnivores (The World We Live in: Part VI Age of Mammals, 1953). Then came the Hyracotherium, which similarly to the Loxolophus, looked nothing like a horse. Instead, it looked like a dog, and had a short snout, neck, legs, a long tail, and an arched back. It also ate foliage and some fruit (“Wild Horses: Evolution Timeline). The next species…show more content…
Merychippus came next, and it was around 40 inches tall, the tallest of all the species so far. Its jaw was deeper, its eyes were moved further back, and its muzzle became longer. Its brain was also larger, making it smarter than previous horses. This species had a head that was very “horse” like (“Wild Horses: Evolution Timeline). Pliohippus was next in the evolutionary line, and it came about 15 million years ago. It was a 3-toed horse, with deep facial fossa, and curved teeth (“Wild Horses: Evolution Timeline). Finally, the genus of all the equines that we know present day came, the Equus. The very first Equus was the size of a pony, as it was 13.2 hands tall. It was and is currently one-toed, with straight, grazing teeth. It had a long neck, nose, legs, and a rigid spine; all of the characteristics of a horse that we know and recognize today. Over the years, many breeds of the Equus have come to be, including one breed in particular which is known as the Arabian horse. Three of the adaptations that have been followed of the Arabian horse are coat thickness, body size, and foot structure. These adaptations of the modern Arabian horse to its current environment are all those that have previously existed in the original Arabian horse, which resided in the Arabian

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