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This was confirmed in a genetic study done in 2017, which subsumed all the specimens into the species E. francisci which was placed outside all extant horse species in the new genus Haringtonhippus [19], although its placement as a separate genus was subsequently questioned. [20] A separate genus of horse, Hippidion existed in South America. [21]
Equidae (commonly known as the horse family) is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, asses, and zebras, and many other species known only from fossils. The family evolved more than 50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, from a small, multi-toed ungulate into larger, single-toed animals.
The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back. [23] This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse.
Extinct equids restored to scale. Left to right: Mesohippus, Neohipparion, Eohippus, Equus scotti and Hypohippus. Wild horses have been known since prehistory from central Asia to Europe, with domestic horses and other equids being distributed more widely in the Old World, but no horses or equids of any type were found in the New World when European explorers reached the Americas.
There are currently 1,258 genera, 161 families, 27 orders, and around 5,937 recognized living species of mammal. [1] Mammalian taxonomy is in constant flux as many new species are described and recategorized within their respective genera and families.
Haringtonhippus is named after Charles Richard Harington. [3] It was originally described as a new Equus species, E. francisci, in 1915. [1] Dalquest (1979) considered Equus tau Owen, 1869, described from teeth in Mexico, a senior synonym of E. francisci, [7] while Equus quinni and E. arrelanoi were synonymized with E. francisci by Winans (1989). [8]
Merychippus was the first equine to have the distinctive head shape of today's horses. The Miocene was a time of drastic change in environment, with woodlands transforming into grass plains. [ 7 ] This led to evolutionary changes in the hooves and teeth of equids .
Genus (/ ˈ dʒ iː n ə s /; pl.: genera / ˈ dʒ ɛ n ər ə /) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. [1] In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus.