Mesohippus

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Mesohippus
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Mesohippus barbouri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Subfamily: †Anchitheriinae
Genus: †Mesohippus
Marsh, 1875
Species

See text

Mesohippus (

Early Oligocene.[1][2] Like many fossil horses, Mesohippus was common in North America. Its shoulder height is estimated at about 60 cm.[3]

Description

Restoration

Mesohippus had longer legs than its predecessor

tridactyl horse in the evolutionary record, with the third digit being longer and larger than its second and fourth digits; Mesohippus had not developed a hoof at this point, rather it still had pads as seen in Hyracotherium and Orohippus.[4] The face of Mesohippus was longer and larger than earlier equids. It had a slight facial fossa
, or depression, in the skull. The eyes were rounder, and were set wider apart and farther back than in Hyracotherium.

Skeleton

Unlike earlier horses, its teeth were low crowned and contained a single gap behind the front teeth, where the bit now rests in the modern horse. In addition, it had another grinding tooth, making a total of six. Mesohippus was a browser that fed on tender twigs and fruit.[5] The cerebral hemisphere, or cranial cavity, was notably larger than that of its predecessors; its brain was similar to that of modern horses.

Species

  • M. bairdi
  • M. barbouri
  • M. braquistylus
  • M. equiceps
  • M. hypostylus
  • M. intermedius
  • M. latidens
  • M. longiceps
  • M. metulophus
  • M. montanensis
  • M. obliquidens
  • M. proteulophus
  • M. westoni

See also

References

Wikispecies has information related to Mesohippus.
  1. ^ "Mesohippus". Florida Museum. 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  2. ^ "Mesohippus". International Museum of the Horse. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  3. ISBN 978-0-8137-2435-5
    .
  4. ^ MacFadden, B. J.. 1992. Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  5. ISBN 1-84028-152-9
    .
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