Mesohippus
Last updated
Mesohippus is an extinct genus of early horse from the Early Oligocene, common in North America. It stood about 60 cm tall and is notable as the first fully tridactyl horse, with a longer face and larger brain than earlier equids.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- InfraclassPlacentalia
- OrderPerissodactyla
- FamilyEquidae
- Genus†Mesohippus
Named by Marsh, 1875
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Mesohippus (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Name meaning
- middle horse (Greek meso + hippos)
- Time period
- 37 to 32 million years ago, Early Oligocene
- Shoulder height
- 60 cm (6 hands)
- Diet
- browser (tender twigs and fruit)
- Distinctive feature
- first fully tridactyl horse; third digit longest
- Tooth count
- six grinding teeth
- low crowned
- with a gap behind front teeth
Facts from the source article.
More in White River Fauna
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mesohippus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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