Order : Perissodactyla (Odd-toed Ungulate)
Horses belong to the order Perissodactyla, which is made up of mammals with hooved feet that have an odd number of toes. These animals are usually fairly large grazers and modern day examples include horses, rhinocerous, and tapirs. These animals most likely evolved in the early Eocene 55 million years ago, and quickly spread over several continents. They were the dominant group of browsers through the beginning of the Miocene, 20 million years ago, where the climate change and spreading of grasses then supported those animals with more complex digestive systems. However, many of the perissodactyls survived through the late pleistocene (10,000 years ago) when human hunting and more climate change caused a decline in numbers (Wikipedia, "Odd-toed Ungulates").
Today, there are 3 existing families of Perissodacyls:
- Equidae
- Tapiridae
- Rhinocerotidae
Today, there are 3 existing families of Perissodacyls:
- Equidae
- Tapiridae
- Rhinocerotidae