In Depth ‘Middle horse’ may seem an uninteresting name for a prehistoric horse, but Mesohippus is actually one of the most important. The middle horse name is actually a reference to the position of Mesohippus in relation to earlier forms like Hyracotherium and larger and later forms like we know today. Aside from having longer … Read more
In Depth The Oligocene and Miocene periods were times of change for the world’s ecosystems, particularly those of the northern hemisphere. Long covered by temperate and in places tropical forests, these were now steadily being replaced by grassy plains. Parahippus is a horse that shows a shift towards coping with these changing environments. Primitive horse … Read more
In Depth Anchitherium was a genus of three toed prehistoric horse that was a browser of plants rather than a grazer of grass, something that is most easily revealed by the teeth that have much lower crowns than those of known grazing horses. This is also why Anchitherium disappeared without leaving any modern descendants because … Read more
In Depth Originally named after a species of Anchitherium, Hypohippus was a primitive three toed horse that browsed upon vegetation rather than grazing on grass. Hypohippus acquired its name from the low middle cusp of its molars. As a browser the teeth had proportionately lower crowns than the teeth of grazing horses. Hypohippus would have … Read more