What is the origin of horse?

Answer 1

The horse was initially a small, multi-toed animal, related to, and not unlike the tapir. Its initial appearance is estimated to be approximately 55 million years ago. This earliest horse is known as the Hyracotherium. Approximately 37 million years ago this species evolved into Mesohippus, which featured one less two than its predecessor. Over the years, Mesohippus's three toes per foot slowly shrank and eventually became the solid hoof that modern horses display. What were formerly toes are now vestigial structures - the splint bones in a horse's leg, for example, and the chestnut and ergot, the horny attachments on the surface of the leg.

Modern horse, Equus Caballus, evolved around 5 million years ago. It was present in Eurasia and North America, and by 15,000 years ago, it was a widespread species and could be found in Eurasia, North American, the Bering Strait, and Europe. 5,000 years later, it was extinct in North American. With the increasingly widespread travel of humans, the horse made it's way back to the various corners of the world.

Currently, there are seven species in the genus Equus - the donkey, the Kiang, the Onager, the Plains Zebra, the Mountain Zebra, the Grevy's Zebra, and the horse.

Answer 2

Horses evolved over 50 million years ago in North America before spreading to other parts of the world. They were initially smaller and had several toes, but over time they evolved into the single-toed, large animals we know today.