How did the horse evolve?

Answer 1

The first horse was no bigger than a 30cm ruler it had paws instead of hooves and had a tail like a fox it then after millions of years evolved into the tarpan which was the first horse that looks the same as we have 2day!Hope this has helped you!

Answer 2

This answer is a summery from the book "The Complete Book of Horse Care" By Tim Hawcroft.

The first horse to appear in history was called Eohippus. It appeared 50 million years ago, and was about the size of a small dog. It's head was more repilian in shape, and it had teeth to fit it's diet of leaves and plants, not for grazing. It had four toes on it's front legs, and 3 toes on each hind leg, as well as two vestigal ones.

The second horse to appear in the evolution of the horse, was Mesohippus. It was twice the size of Eohppus, and appeared about 35 million years ago. As the climate was changing from forests to grasslands, Mesohippus had a primitive "hoof" on it's middle toe, which was larger than the other two. It was the first to have 3 toes on each foot. Other changes involved a longer face, Eyes set further back, a larger skull, and changes in it's teeth were apparent as it's diet changed.

From Mesohippus evolved Miohippus, which was larger in size, and then Merychippus appeared 25 million years ago. Grasslands were more in abundance, which robbed Merychippus of it's hiding spots. This meant that Merychippus was more built for running and grazing. Evidence of concurrent changes in the jaw movement, and tooth structure, back this up. Not only that, but their height increased to about a metre, and their skull and face became more... "Horse-like." Their front legs were modified with the radius and ulna fusing together in the front legs, likewise the tibia and the fibula also fused in the back legs. The middle "Hoof" became larger, and Stronger, and the two side toes became smaller.

At the same time, the genus Pliohippus had the smaller toes disappear altogether, leaving vestiges that are the long splint bones along side the cannon bone in the modern-day horse. Changes in the leg and foot structure were due to the changes in environment, which made speed a necessity to survive.

Plesippus appeared about 5 million years ago and resembled today's horses much more than any of it's predecessors. However, 1 million years ago, equus evolved and was the first of the "true horses." It was a lot like Plesippus, except it had a more complex tooth structure. It originated in North America, but emigrated to Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America by means of the connected land masses at the time. From it, a variety of wild horses evolved.

Answer 3

One of the earliest ancestors of horses was Hyracotherium, who first appeared around 50 million years ago in the Eocene epoch. It lived in North America and was the earliest animal to bear horse-like characteristics. Sometimes called Eohippus ("dawn horse"), Hyracotherium was only about the size of a small dog (and looked like one too), but it had long, slender legs compared to the rest of its body. These were obviously adapted for running quickly. It did not have hooves, and its feet had an odd number of toes.

The early ancestors of modern horses (such as Hyracotherium) were browsers who lived in forests and ate various fruits and foliage. However, as the Earth began to get dryer and cooler, the forests started to disappear and were replaced by grasslands. Thus, the early horses adapted and became grazing animals, and their teeth changed shape in response. Mesohippus was one genus of early horse who became adapted to this changing landscape.

Horses successively grew larger as they evolved. Most notably, their middle toe grew larger as the rest of their toes shrank. They continued to adapt to grasslands and a grazing lifestyle. Merychippus was one of the first true horses, evolving around 20 million years ago, in the Miocene epoch. It was an effective runner and grazer with a distinctive hoof.

The modern forms of horse, belonging to Equus, appeared around 4 million years ago. This includes the domesticated kind.

Evidence for the evolution of horses is found in the abundant intermediate fossils which show many of the gradual changes within prehistoric equids. While new discoveries have changed and rearranged certain parts of the horse lineage, the basic idea remains the same. Many scientists regard the ancestry of horses as a prime example of evolution. The ancestral lineage of horses is not one seamless progression, however. It is more like a branching tree, with many kinds of genera separating from one another, becoming extinct, and one branch eventually giving rise to modern horses.

Answer 4

Evolution

The earliest definite ancestor of the horse lived around 56 million years ago in North America. About as big as a fox, it had four toes on its front feet, and three on it back feet, and lived in marshy areas where it browsed on vegetation. Over the millennia, the horse got larger and its extra toes disappeared. Its teeth adapted to grazing, and the position of its eyes changed to give it all-round vision.

Hyracotherium

As big as a fox. Four toes on front legs, three on hind. 55 million years ago (About)

Mesohippus

Bigger, still small. Toes start to dissapear, but they are still there. 40 million years ago

Merychippus

About half the size of a horse now. Teeth adapting to graze. 25 million years ago

Pliohippus

Big donkey sized. All toes grown to hooves. 5 million years ago

Equine

Fully grown horse. All toes under hooves, mane and tail, horse sized. 1.5 million years ago

P.S.

The first breed of horse was the Arab.

Answer 5

Horses evolved from these little animals like dogs and grew and produced hooves.

Answer 6

Horses are descended from a dog-like creature called Hyracatherium.

Answer 7

It did not descend from any animal except a horse.

Answer 8

i don't know do u