Since ancient times one of the most important among those animals that have been domesticated by man is a horse.Without it is impossible to imagine many episodes in the history of our civilization: the migration of peoples, great battles and the conquest of entire countries ... Of course, the domestication of this animal was far from a couple of years, and the ancient ancestors of the horse gave us modern "version" of his offspring relatively recently.
way, and who they were, these same ancestors?If a horse is something almost everyone knows, this theme is virtually unknown.To fix this unfortunate misunderstanding, we have prepared this article.
Hyracotherium, 54-38 million years ago
This is the time of the Eocene.At that time, the Earth went around the oldest member of the family horses.Almost the entire surface of the planet is covered with dense tropical forests, many inhabitants were perfectly adapted to living in such conditions.Mammals at that time already existed, but preferred to be smaller and behave as quietly as possible, and only left the shelter at nightfall.
most ancient ancestors of the horse Hyracotherium, just were such timid animals.It is fair to say that the ancestor of modern scholars believe that animal horses only with great reserve.Firstly, it refers to an ancient family of paleoterievyh that gave not only the ancestors of modern horses, but long since extinct brontotheres.Secondly, this animal was already 20 centimeters at the shoulder and on his feet were no hooves.In short, he is much more like some rare breed cats than horses.
And it was true: the most ancient ancestors of the horses were similar to those of their descendants only that were herbivorous.But!They eat only leaves small shrubs, as the grass in those century on the surface of the planet was not found.For all other signs, they were typical of the inhabitants of the forest, which was not running in the steppe.It Hyracotherium - the oldest ancestor of the horse.
, however, is to emphasize once again that he had absolutely no features of a modern type.To what extent can be considered the ancestors of Hyracotherium huge number of animals, many of which we certainly have nothing to learn.Just imagine: the beginning of the Pleistocene alone artiodactyl there were more than 200 varieties, and it is (for the time) was not the limit!
With equines observed about the same situation.Today in the world there is a maximum of half a dozen species, whereas in the historical period their number, perhaps there are hundreds of species and subspecies of the most diverse!
mesohippus, 40-32 million years ago
Here is an animal already can be considered relatively similar to the horse.The withers mesohippus already grew up to 60 cm, and on his feet, he had been only three fingers, and the average was much longer and thicker than the other two.
's only when you look at the structure of the skull and teeth, it turns out that in front of us - a typical herbivorous animals that feed almost exclusively leaves and small twigs.Grass he was not particularly need.Significant changes in his appearance associated with habitat conditions change dramatically if Hyracotherium lived in dense and reliably protect their forests, the mesohippus been forced to move in a rare forest-steppe zone.
space has become much more number of enemies has also increased.Accordingly, these ancient ancestors of the horses were forced to run a lot, so as not to serve as a decoration of someone's table.Due to this they have gradually started to atrophy lateral toes, which only disturbed to move quickly on the surface of the earth, the digestive system has become rougher and increased its length, and the teeth become stiffer and shorter.
Do not forget about the above-mentioned brontotheres, which were the largest equine animals that ever lived on Earth.In contrast to the "horses" of the period, these animals are more reminiscent of modern rhinos, and over the centuries became only the larger and more massive.By the way, in their head, too, was a horn, but, unlike the rhinoceros (rhinoceros horn have derived from the skin), it really was a bone.
At the end of the Oligocene climate began to occur not too pleasant for the inhabitants of the planet changes: it became the land, forests with lush foliage has dropped.Giant and voracious brontotheres simply died out of hunger, but the history of the horses at that time was just beginning.They are becoming more diverse, there were new evolutionary branches.Of course, many of them have become a dead end, but some gave rise to animals that survived for millions of years.
Miogippus, 36-24 million years ago
mesohippus gradually died out, replaced by miogippus come.While first it appeared really large open spaces (both modern prairie), but at the same time, there remains a huge forest than this animal was able to use to the fullest.He is one of the rarest mammals, which had just two much different subspecies, forest and steppe.Gradually the forest subspecies migrated to North America from it occurred anhitery.But these ancient horses of the period - its steppe species.
main difference from mesohippus was that reinforcing miogippusa have not only fingers and teeth.They are much stronger and tougher.An ideal tool for a large number of grinding hard steppe grass.Incidentally, adaptation to digest tough and dense nutrient-poor food served ancestors of horses in good stead at the start of global cooling.Species that prefer tender leaves and young branches of trees dying in droves.
Anhitery, "by-the offspring."24-5 million years ago
So who was the same anhitery descended from the forest "version" miogippusa?Most of all, he reminded mesohippus that by the time it arrives already being died out: on his nagas had three fingers, he ate branches and leaves.As you might guess, the evolution of the horse in his case is over: the ancestor of these animals in their present form, he did not.
Paragippus, 24-17 million years ago
In general, it is more than just paragippus resembled those of modern horses, an ancestor of which it was.In his "arsenal" the completely new legs and teeth.More precisely, they were not so much new as significantly improved.This animal was not run for the first time on the whole area of the foot, namely, their short, thickened fingers.
The fact is that in the Miocene forest became even less, but the number of steppe covered with herbaceous plants, has increased dramatically.Accordingly, some shelters do almost was not, but because the ancestors of the horses had to be accelerated even more.
It is necessary to make a retreat.History knows several cases of horses being solipeds this time went the other way.It is a tapir.They are also further them (horses) ancestors who chose to go with the retreating jungle rather than adapt to the difficult conditions of the steppes.
Merychippus, 17-11 million years ago
Merychippus was largely similar to paragippusom.The shoulders of this "miniature horse" has reached a meter, and on his feet were very real hoofs.The teeth of this animal were ideally suited for eating just grass, but not the leaves, as his many relatives.
It should be noted that in those days the forest began to gradually revive.Theoretically Merychippus could once again become forest dwellers, going to the light in getting the foliage.That's only in the forests were still living and miogippusy anhiterii, but because the food niche was fully occupied.Thus, the ancestors of horses and related animals often were able to intense biological confrontation, as they used the same food supply.
is possible that in the case of a full-scale return of forests on our planet today would live it anhiteriev descendants and other forest dwellers, but the climate continued to become more and more severe.Whatever it was, but in the forest, where there was an ancient ancestor of the horse, almost no one returned (some exceptions to this rule mentioned above).
hipparions, 15-2 million years ago
These animals were about 20 species, and it is their first time could be considered a true horse, without any reservations.Most of all, they were like modern horses, the size was about the same.On their legs still remain third and fourth fingers, but only a rudimentary processes.These were the ancestors of these horses.Horses, these can be considered the very successful from a biological point of view.
These species lived almost the entire surface of the planet.Home mystery to paleontologists is the reason for their extinction.It was a highly successful species, well adapted to the conditions of their environment.Some scientists believed (and believe still is) that the main branch of evolution equines should be considered of these animals, while the evolution of the horse was a side branch.In principle, clearly adopted opinions on the causes of their extinction is not so far.Perhaps this is due to the same climate change.
Pliogippus, 12-5 million years ago
And now we will look really dead end in the development of family - pliogippusa.For a long time it was believed that he was the true, the direct ancestor of all modern horses.But later paleontologists and biologists have found that the structure of the skull is too different from the horse.
However, a special error did not work: after all, and that the animal was a direct descendant of Merychippus as hipparions.Rather, pliogippusy were some transitional form between forest and steppe representatives of the family.At a time when the climate was relatively balanced and soft, they are easy to get along with everyone, but then continued cooling, and this kind simply could not compete with its more specialized relatives.
Perhaps it was at that time (about 2 million years ago), our "wild" horses and wild ancestors first met each other.It is likely that this meeting was totally gastronomic character.In those centuries Australopithecus lived on the planet, and they are unlikely to be interested in the domestication of horses.
5 million - 8000 years ago
think that at the beginning of the Pleistocene horse modern fully survived "oldies" in the face of hipparions and astrogippusa?Not at all.At that time, it became more of cloven-hoofed herbivores, with whom relations have been the ancestors of the horses are not too good, because they use a common food base.
In addition, at that time in South America still maintains an extremely ancient and primitive forms of equines, which other places have long since died out.But then it was time to the Pleistocene, and the world came to the next ice age.There was a lot of species (like elasmoteriya) that could only exist in the harsh conditions of climate change.Scientists now agree that the extinction of these animals was due not to human activity, but with a completely natural causes.
But we described the history of the appearance of horses.How all this is connected?The fact is that because of the cold snap many older types (ierikgippusy) finally died out completely, because the ancestors of these horses got "free rein", started to develop and capture new space.
Four million years ago - today
course, all kinds of archaic one season does not become extinct.For pliogippus disappeared only five million years ago, so that in the historical sense, they lived almost yesterday.
Since even the australopithecines were not earlier than 3 million years ago, people in their extinction are not to blame.Firstly, the planet was getting colder.Secondly, on the stage cloven-hoofed animals, the digestive system which has been many times more perfect.By the way, the reason for the many mammoth extinction - the same food, and not a man with his primitive spears.Lack of food made of ancient horses "land" and quickly, and many of their species simply disappeared.
horses in those days already acquired a modern look and features of the internal structure.The climate is becoming milder, so that they began to spread over a large area.Further evolution of the horse was on the way atrophy residues third and fourth finger, as well as the development of the gastrointestinal tract.Today, the evolution of this species has not stopped, but has seriously complicated the process of influence on the person.
Who knows how different appearance would have horses, though still living in the savannas and prairies of the world where people did not show up!
