Eohippus

Eohippus is small fossil proto-horse. It is an extinct genus of small equid ungulates.[1] The only species is E. angustidens, which was long considered a species of Hyracotherium. Its remains have been found in North America and date to the early Eocene (48–56 million years ago).[2]

Eohippus
Temporal range: early Eocene
HyracotheriumVasacciensisLikeHorse.JPG
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Scientific classification
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Eohippus

(Marsh, 1876)
Restoration by Heinrich Harder

Much of the evolution of the horse took place in North America. That is where horses originated, but became extinct there about 10,000 years ago.[3]

References

  1. MacFadden B.J. 2005. "Evolution: Fossil horses--evidence for evolution. Science 307 (5716): 1728–1730. [1]
  2. Froehlich D.J. 2002. Quo vadis eohippus? The systematics and taxonomy of the early Eocene equids (Perissodactyla). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (2): 141–256. [2]
  3. Singer, Ben (May 2005). A brief history of the horse in America. Canadian Geographic Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-01-07. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
 
Restoration by Charles Knight