Przewalski's Horse, Equus przewalskii
Captive Przwalski's horses at the Metro Toronto Zoo
Przewalski's
horse, also known as the Mongolian ass, is the only surviving species of
wild horse (Sterry 1994, Clutton-Brock 1992). Although the species
went extinct in the wild in the 1960s, herds have recently been reintroduced
to their native habitat in Mongolia (Clutton-Brock 1992), and are now found
mainly in the Altai mountains of Mongolia, at the edge of the Gobi desert
(Sterry 1994).
Przewalski's horse stands a stocky 12-14hh, and is tan in colour with a lighter muzzle and underbelly. Like the wild ass, it may also have a dorsal stripe or striping on the legs. It also has a characteristically short, stiff mane which stands erect and which is shed anually along with its thick wooly winter coat (Clabby 1976).
E. przewalskii is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic horse, E. caballus, but in the past some classification schemes designated it as a sub-species of the domestic horse, E. caballus przewalski (Clabby 1976).
Przewalski's horse stands a stocky 12-14hh, and is tan in colour with a lighter muzzle and underbelly. Like the wild ass, it may also have a dorsal stripe or striping on the legs. It also has a characteristically short, stiff mane which stands erect and which is shed anually along with its thick wooly winter coat (Clabby 1976).
E. przewalskii is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic horse, E. caballus, but in the past some classification schemes designated it as a sub-species of the domestic horse, E. caballus przewalski (Clabby 1976).