The Different Types of Horses
1. Modern day horses evolved from the earliest horse, Eohippus. From Eohippus came Oligohippus, Oligohippus to Merychippus, and Merychippus to Pliohippus, and Pliohippus to a Modern Day Horse. The Eohippus was described as a small hyena,
dog-sized, forest-dwelling animal. The Oligohippus was slightly larger then Eohippus but lived in the forest just like it. This one had three functional toes that touched the ground but the forth had disappeared. The Oligohippus had a bigger skull then the Eohippus. The Merychippus was had three toes on each foot and is the first horse known to have grazed. Its name means "ruminant horse." The Pliohippus seems to have been built for speed, this was a true single-toed horse. Today's Modern Day Horse had zebra like bodies and short donkeys like heads. Their tails were short and stiff and straight up manes.
The Changes in Horse's Body Structure ,
In Which Period Horses Appeared &
Horse's Evolutionary Tree
In Which Period Horses Appeared &
Horse's Evolutionary Tree
2. Throughout time there have been many changes in horses body structure. Most important changes have been fore foot, hind foot, fore arm, leg, and upper and lower molars.
Eohippus: Appeared 60 million years ago
First horse to evolve
Oligohippus: Appeared 40 million years ago
Second horse to evolve
The change from Eohippus to Oligohippus is teeth and hands
Merychippus: Appeared 25 million years ago
Third horse to evolve
The change from Oligohippus to Merychippus is knees, legs, and teeth
Pliohippus: Appeared 7 million years ago
Fourth horse to evolve
The change from Merychippus to Pliohippus is fore arms, teeth, joints and spine
Modern Horse: Appeared 3 million years ago
Last horse to evolve
The change from Pliohippus to Modern Horse is spine,forearm,teeth, and joints
Modern horses still live today!
In this picture you can also see a timeline of horses. First, the Eohippus.Second, the Oligohippus. Third, the Merychippus. Fourth, the Pilohippus. Finally, the Modern Day Horse.
Eohippus: Appeared 60 million years ago
First horse to evolve
Oligohippus: Appeared 40 million years ago
Second horse to evolve
The change from Eohippus to Oligohippus is teeth and hands
Merychippus: Appeared 25 million years ago
Third horse to evolve
The change from Oligohippus to Merychippus is knees, legs, and teeth
Pliohippus: Appeared 7 million years ago
Fourth horse to evolve
The change from Merychippus to Pliohippus is fore arms, teeth, joints and spine
Modern Horse: Appeared 3 million years ago
Last horse to evolve
The change from Pliohippus to Modern Horse is spine,forearm,teeth, and joints
Modern horses still live today!
In this picture you can also see a timeline of horses. First, the Eohippus.Second, the Oligohippus. Third, the Merychippus. Fourth, the Pilohippus. Finally, the Modern Day Horse.
Three Transitional Horse Fossils
3.In the picture above it shows three transitional fossils of a horse's leg. In the first fossil this is probably the leg of the earliest horse, Eohippus. After that,the following fossils in the picture show how horses changed over time as different types evolved. It's good to show this because you can see how much horses have changed. For example, when you were a baby you were different than you are now. You were smaller, not as smart, etc.One change was the amount of bones in your body. As a baby you had 300-350 bones. When you are an adult you have around 206 bones. That's a big change! Also facial features help show transition from a baby to an adult. Such as wrinkles, face drop, ect.
The Evidence of Horse Evolution
These two pictures show an example of either natural selection, or a fossil record.
4.Fossil records, and Natural Selection are evidence of horse evolution. The fossil record contains many well-documented examples of the transition from one species into another, as well as the origin of new physical features. Evidence from the fossil record is unique, because it provides a time perspective for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. This perspective is not available from other branches of science or in the other databases that support the study of evolution. Natural Selection is Natural selection is one of the basic mechanisms of evolution, along with mutation, migration, and genetic drift.Darwin's grand idea of evolution by natural selection is relatively simple but, often misunderstood.