because they change over time
Fossils lead most scientists to believe that all horses are descended from a small horselike animal that lived about 55 million years ago. This prehistoric animal, called Eohippus or Hyracotherium, was only 10 to 20 inches high. Fossils indicate that by 3 million years ago, wild horses had evolved to have the basic size and appearance of modern horses. People domesticated horses sometime before 5,000 years ago.
Modern animals may be related to fossilized organisms.
The earliest fossils found in the horse family belong to an animal called Hyracotherium, also known as Eohippus. These fossils date back to the Eocene epoch, about 55 million years ago. Eohippus was a small, dog-sized animal with multiple toes on its feet, which is different from modern horses.
Fossils that are buried millions of years ago do not look exactly like a modern-day organism due to evolution. This process refers to the gradual change in organisms over a period of time.
Millions of years ago, horses had three or four functional toes that left prints similar to those of other browsing mammals. Over time, these toes evolved into the single hoof that we see in modern horses today.
The first Neanderthal fossils were found in Gibraltar when tunnels were built for defence, but they were not recognised as a different human species at the time. The first fossils to be recognised as different from modern humans were found in the Neander Valley, near Dusseldorf, Germany.
The biggest change in skull anatomy from the Dawn horse (Eohippus) to the modern horse (Equus) is the elongation and modification of the skull structure. The modern horse has a longer and more pronounced nasal region, which accommodates a larger nasal cavity for increased oxygen intake during high-speed running. Additionally, the dental structure has evolved; modern horses have larger, more complex molars adapted for grinding tough vegetation, while earlier horses had smaller teeth suited for a different diet. These changes reflect adaptations to different environments and lifestyles over millions of years.
Modern plants and animals resemble fossils found in the same area.
Hominids
The Eohippus, or Dawn Horse, has been extinct for thousands of years. This creature was the ancestor of modern equines.
One of the earliset kind of horse was a Hyracotherium. It lived around 50 million years ago and was a similar of a fox. This horse evolved over millions of years to become a modern horse. Spain and the mustangs. The mustangs were the first horses in America and they are all decendents from them.
C) Many traits of modern birds resemble the fossils of winged dinosaurs C) Many traits of modern birds resemble the fossils of winged dinosaurs