Ancestor of horses
First letter "t"
Second letter "a"
Third letter "r"
The last letter of the letter is "n"
Answer for the clue "Ancestor of horses", 6 letters:
tarpan
Alternative crossword questions for the word tarpan
Wild ancestor of the domestic horse
The horse that once ran across Europe
Odd-toed tarpan animal
Extinct wild horse
The horse that once ran across the steppe
An extinct wild horse of gray color with a black mane and tail, found in the steppes of Eastern Europe
Definition of the word tarpan in dictionaries
Wikipedia
Meaning of the word in the Wikipedia dictionary
Tarpan: The Tarpan is an extinct ancestor of the modern horse and is a subspecies of the Wild Horse. Tarpan, Ruslan Serafimovich (born 1971) - entrepreneur, philanthropist, deputy of the Odessa City Council. EKr1 "Tarpan" is a Ukrainian high-speed electric train.
Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Dal Vladimir
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Dal Vladimir
m. Equus caballus ferus, wild horse of the Kyrgyz steppes, see also kulan and dzhigitai. Tarpan is a name not entirely explained by scientists; aka mujin and takya; Is this a wild horse or a feral one? Not long ago, according to legend, he lived in Novorossiysk. steppes.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. D.N. Ushakov
tarpana, m. (Turk.). A wild horse that lived until the end of the 19th century in the steppes of Europe and Western Siberia, now preserved in certain protected areas (for example, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha).
Examples of the use of the word tarpan in literature.
Young horse from a herd or caught wild tarpan easier in science than a bad horse that has been in stupid hands.
They ran away here and there tarpans, and the aurochs, not so cautious in their strength, looked at the riders and again lowered their heads, tearing off the grass.
In the hands of Slobozhans, a bow becomes a terrible long-range weapon, and up close, a hundred steps away, a Slobozhan will pierce a goat, and in a round or tarpana- a wild horse - will drive an arrow to the feather.
They won't hear - tarpan not a wolf, he is like a deer, he is being chased, he is trying to hear what is behind him.
Then he said out loud: “Why can you be wise, command crowds, fight incessantly, have a mind as brilliant as a diamond, and yet remain tiny, like tarpan, and blind as a caterpillar?
The history of the horse dates back 65 million years (early Eocene). It is from this period that they belong finds of the remains of the ancestor of modern horses - Eohippus, which lived in North America, as well as its European relative Hyracotherium. Eohippus He was 30-50 cm tall, he had an arched back, a long tail and a large head, the front part of which was very elongated. The front legs were elongated and ended with four toes, and the hind legs with three. It lived in swampy forests, feeding mainly on leaves and sometimes insects and small animals. His teeth were adapted for pinching the leaves of young shoots and grinding them. Permanent teeth eohippus were low with bumps on the chewing surface. It is by the structure and arrangement of teeth that scientists have determined eohippus the first ancestor of the modern horse.
Larger, about the size of a greyhound dog, mesohippus, found in Oligocene deposits, already had only three fingers on both limbs, but his lateral fingers still reached the ground. The crowns of the molars were low, although they had a flat, folded chewing surface, allowing him to chew tough leaves. He lived in the forest and in his lifestyle resembled tapirs.
Merigippus was the closest to the modern horse. The height of the merigippus at the withers is on average 90 cm. The foot was still three-toed, but the load was transferred to the middle finger. The molars were covered with strong enamel made of bone tissue. Merigippus had a keen sense- this is a trait that characterizes the modern horse and serves as its protection. Merigippus was one of the most durable links in the evolutionary chain of horses.
Merigippus
Anchitheria- were already larger, the size of a modern pony, their 2 side toes were significantly shorter than the middle one. They first appeared in America, then migrated to Eurasia.
25 million years ago, cooling began, and treeless spaces appeared. Before this, the entire land was covered with forests, and, naturally, animals were adapted to life in them. New living conditions led to the development of new instincts. The structure of the body also did not remain unchanged: did the jaws become more massive? tooth strength has increased. As a result, the facial part of the skull elongated, and the skull and eye sockets moved back. The neck has lengthened to make it easier to reach the ground. With long legs, it became easier to escape from predators, and the middle toe increased in size and became keratinized, gradually turning into a hoof.
This is how the first one-toed horse, the hipparion, appeared 15 million years ago. From this ancestor originates the classification of the domestic horse and all its surviving relatives.
Hipparions were very numerous, but they did not yet have hooves. They appeared, like many species, in America, and then, through Alaska and the isthmus that then connected America and Eurasia, they penetrated into Europe, Asia and even Africa. The question has not yet been resolved whether hipparions direct ancestors of horses or is it a side branch. But one way or another they were already closer to modern horses than anyone. And about 5 million years ago they appeared pliohyppus- one-toed horses. had the proportions of a modern horse.
Changes began to occur on Earth again: in the savannas, where they lived in abundance hipparions, the highly moist soil on which succulent plants grew was replaced by dry steppes. AND hipparions, repressed pliohyppus, began to die out. quickly populated Europe, Asia and Africa. Descendants pliohyppus became those whom science classifies as members of the equine family of the equid order - zebras, Przewalski's horses, donkeys, wild asses, half-donkeys and the horses themselves. All of them are distinguished by long and thin limbs with one third toe protected by the hoof.
Horses were one of the most common species on earth, but in Europe ancient horses became extinct at the beginning of the Oligocene, leaving no descendants: they were probably exterminated by numerous predators. In America, ancient horses continued to develop. Subsequently, modern horses evolved from them, which penetrated through the Bering Strait into Europe and Asia. In America the ancestors of horses became extinct at the beginning of the Pleistocene and appeared there again only with the arrival of colonialists from Europe.
The question of the immediate ancestor of the modern horse remains unclear.
Until recently, the ancestors of the horse were considered to be its wild relatives - kulan, Przewalski's horse and tarpan. Previously they thought that there were more ancestors, but then settled on these three.
Kulan, or dzhigetai, is a typical representative of steppes and semi-deserts. Kulans lived over vast areas of Mongolia, North-West China, Kazakhstan and in the regions of Turkmenistan. Now they are rare. Kulans are somewhat larger than onagers, but less kiangs the largest of half donkeys, living on the plateaus of Southwestern China and Tibet. The average height of kulans is 115 cm; Their body is light and their limbs are thin. Kulan has great running agility ( It is believed that the kulan is one of the fastest among ungulates: can reach speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour, and over short distances - more than 70). In the 30s, an interesting attempt was made in the Soviet Union to domesticate kulans and cross them with horses, but the resulting hybrids turned out to be fruitless.
Przewalski's horse is closer to a domestic horse. Reasons for considering it an ancestor: among the ancestors of the domestic horse, there are 2 types - light, fine-boned and larger and heavier. It was believed that Przewalski's horse belongs to the second type. But the Soviet scientist V.I. Gromova - the greatest expert on the history of horses - based on careful research, proved that Przewalski's horse has nothing to do with modern horses, although it is a close relative. Subsequently, this opinion was confirmed by chromosome analysis: the Przewalski horse had 66 pairs of chromosomes, and the domestic horse had 64.
Tarpan remains. He is indeed the ancestor of the domestic horse. But in 1879 the last free Tarpan died. It was a tarpanikha, who went down in history under the name " one-eyed tarpan".
Nevertheless... Anyone who was in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve could see there a small, mouse-colored horse with a standing mane typical of wild horses. This is tarpan.
The estate of Lord Zamoyski had a rather rich menagerie. Among other animals, there were tarpans, but in 1908 the owners decided to distribute 20 tarpans to the peasants. From these Tarpanov a large offspring appeared, in which signs of wild ones were scattered bit by bit Tarpanov. In 1936, Polish scientists decided to put these signs together and recreate tarpana. They succeeded: horses appeared that were, in all respects, similar to their wild ancestors, having one of the most typical signs of wild horses - a standing short mane.
Wild ancestor of the domestic horse
First letter "t"
Second letter "a"
Third letter "r"
The last letter of the letter is "n"
Answer for the clue "Wild ancestor of the domestic horse", 6 letters:
tarpan
Alternative crossword questions for the word tarpan
Odd-toed tarpan animal
The horse that once ran across Europe
Extinct wild horse
m. Equus caballus ferus, wild horse of the Kyrgyz steppes, see also kulan and dzhigitai. Tarpan is a name not entirely explained by scientists; aka mujin and takya; Is this a wild horse or a feral one? Not long ago, according to legend, he lived in Novorossiysk. steppes
An extinct wild horse of gray color with a black mane and tail, found in the steppes of Eastern Europe
Definition of the word tarpan in dictionaries
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. D.N. Ushakov
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. D.N. Ushakov
tarpana, m. (Turk.). A wild horse that lived until the end of the 19th century in the steppes of Europe and Western Siberia, now preserved in certain protected areas (for example, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha).
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova.
-a, m. An extinct wild horse of a gray color with a black mane and tail, found in the steppes of Eastern Europe.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Great Soviet Encyclopedia
European wild horse (Equus caballus gmelini), a subspecies of the domestic horse. Probably the ancestor of some breeds of domestic horses. T. was previously widespread in the steppes of the European part of the USSR and a number of European countries. Found in Ukraine until the 70s. 19th century....
Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Dal Vladimir
The meaning of the word in the dictionary Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, Dal Vladimir
m. Equus caballus ferus, wild horse of the Kyrgyz steppes, see also kulan and dzhigitai. Tarpan is a name not entirely explained by scientists; aka mujin and takya; Is this a wild horse or a feral one? Not long ago, according to legend, he lived in Novorossiysk. steppes.
Examples of the use of the word tarpan in literature.
Young horse from a herd or caught wild tarpan easier in science than a bad horse that has been in stupid hands.
They ran away here and there tarpans, and the aurochs, not so cautious in their strength, looked at the riders and again lowered their heads, tearing off the grass.
In the hands of Slobozhans, a bow becomes a terrible long-range weapon, and up close, a hundred steps away, a Slobozhan will pierce a goat, and in a round or tarpana- a wild horse - will drive an arrow to the feather.
They won't hear - tarpan not a wolf, he is like a deer, he is being chased, he is trying to hear what is behind him.
Then he said out loud: “Why can you be wise, command crowds, fight incessantly, have a mind as brilliant as a diamond, and yet remain tiny, like tarpan, and blind as a caterpillar?
Since ancient times, horses have been considered human companions: they were used during great migrations, for military purposes, and simply for transporting goods. Perhaps someone was wondering how long ago horses appeared? What did the ancestor of the horse and zebra look like? Outwardly, these two animals are so similar to each other. We will try to understand these and other interesting questions in the article.
Evolution of the equine family - from Eohippus to the modern horse.
Archaeological excavations have proven that the very first ancestors of horses began to appear 50–60 million years ago. The remains of animals were found both on the territory of the North American continent and in the European part of the world. They were named, respectively, Eohippus and Hyracotherium.
At that time, the entire surface of the Earth was covered with dense vegetation, and its recently appeared inhabitants, mammals, easily adapted to the new conditions and used the forest for shelter from predators. The small size of the animals helped with this.
Eohippus was small in stature - at the withers it reached no more than 30 cm. In its appearance, it vaguely resembled a modern horse. The paws had toes instead of the usual hooves, with four on the front and three on the back. The tail was up to 20 cm long and looked more like a cat's tail. The same can be said about the structure of the slightly elongated skull.
The only reason that prompted scientists to call this animal the ancestor of the horse was the fact that, in addition to small animals and insects, Eohippus supplemented its diet with young shoots of plants. He had developed molar chewing teeth, similar to those that nature gave to modern horses.
The first representative of the equine family was Eohippus, which translated means “Horse of the Dawn.”
Orohippus
About 20–30 million years ago, the hyracotheriums were replaced by the survival-adapted orohippus. Despite the fact that the number of species of this animal has already reached two hundred, only the one mentioned above continued the evolutionary chain of modern horses.
The growth of this fossil horse was already a little taller - it reached a confident half a meter. A short mane was formed from the protruding hair, and the tail was similar to a horse. Hooves had not yet formed on the animal’s paws, but the development of the middle fingers was already observed, which became larger and rougher. At this time, the lateral ones turned into bone growths rather than fingers.
This transformation of the beast began with their migration from a completely forested area to the steppe, where they had to move on harder ground. Moreover, in the flat expanses, Orohippus had a noticeable speed advantage, which made it possible to escape from predators.
Merigippus
The next important and long-term link in the development of the species was the merigippus, which appeared about 20 million years ago. Their feet were still three-toed, but the middle toe became more and more like a hoof. The teeth were considered fully chewable, because these ancestors ate exclusively plant foods.
The animal's height of 90 cm and unique flair gave reason to consider the species as close as possible to the modern horse.
Anchiterium
Along with many other species, Anchitheria appeared in North America, and then in Europe. These animals became even larger than their ancestors and reached the size of a modern pony. The middle finger has become even more pronounced than the side fingers.
During this period, cooling began on the planet, which led to an increase in the area of steppes and the retreat of forests. These climate changes began to affect the ancient horses, which in turn had to adapt in order to survive.
Anchiterium looked like a small horse and reached the size of modern ponies.
The appearance of the anchytherium began to change: the legs became longer, and the front part of the skull lengthened.
Hipparion
Hipparion, known as the first prehistoric horse that completely got rid of its lateral toes, began to populate vast areas of America, Eurasia and even Africa. He did not yet have hooves, but his appearance was most similar to a horse. Extinct completely 1.5 million years ago.
Pliohippus
Constant climate change began to further change the habitats of horses. When, about 15 million years ago, on the territory of modern Africa, the moist soil began to turn into a savannah with dry soil, the hipparions began to be replaced by pliohippus, which also populated Europe and Asia. This species became the ancestor of the Przewalski's horse, zebra, donkey and other equids. However, plyohippus could not resist natural disasters and completely disappeared from the face of the Earth, passing on the branch of development to the modern horse.
In North America, horses became extinct during global cooling, but appeared there again during the discovery of the continent by European colonialists.
Przewalski's horse
It appeared several thousand years ago and has survived to this day. It was discovered by the scientist N.M. Przhevalsky in Tibet. Currently, it lives in pristine natural areas in Asia, in protected reserves and zoos. Recognized as the likely wild ancestor of the domestic horse. The animal's height is already 130 cm, and its weight is over 300 kg.
The Przewalski's horse has survived to this day and is recognized as the probable ancestor of domestic horses.
This horse can also be found in the city of Pripyat, in the exclusion zone, where scientists brought 17 heads for further breeding. The experiment was successful, since now there are already 59 individuals.
Tarpan
Tarpan, according to many scientists, is also the predecessor of the modern horse. He has a trained gray body and an erect mane - typical features of wild horses. The horse was mentioned in 1900 as a domesticated resident of a private Polish menagerie that belonged to the Zamoyski household. Later, the animals were given to peasants who started breeding them. However, the tarpan did not tolerate captivity and began to die out. The last living wild tarpan was seen in 1980.
Modern horse
This is the only branch of evolutionary development that has survived to this day. Most live in captivity and serve humans. In rural areas, horses are used as horse-drawn vehicles for transporting goods. Horse clubs are being formed in the suburbs, where anyone can book a horse ride through the forest.
Scientists have proven that horseback riding is therapeutic for people suffering from musculoskeletal diseases. This is how hippotherapy appeared.
Horses are associated with historical events and great figures. For example, an entire city, Bucephalus, was named after the famous horse of Alexander the Great. During the time of the Russian Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, a small change coin was minted with the image of a rider with a spear on a horse - a spearman, which was eventually called a kopeck.
According to some reports, there lives in the world over 100 million horses. The vast majority of them are representatives of numerous breeds of domestic horses. There are practically no wild animals left. It took tens of millions of years for a small fox-like creature that lived in prehistoric forests to turn into a beautiful creature of nature, striking in its harmonious forms and proportions.
During a long evolutionary process, types of animals were formed, each of which contributed its own “building block” to the modern phenotype of the domestic horse. Read about how this happened in this article.
Zoological passport
All breeds of the modern domestic horse, its fossil ancestors and current wild relatives make up the order of the equine family Equus (Equus). The latter includes several subgenera: - true horses, - half-donkeys, - donkeys, - zebras.
Change and natural selection
The evolutionary history of the horse genus begins around 60-70 million years ago. It is possible to talk about the fauna and flora of prehistoric times only based on facts and findings studied by paleontology. Thanks to the Russian scientist Kovalevsky, who was attracted by fossil forms of equids, the main stages of development of the horse genus are well defined. The scientist proved that the course of the process, its duration, and intensity were actively influenced by changes in the external living conditions of animals.
The history of the appearance and development of odd-toed ungulates of the horse genus most clearly proves the correctness of Darwin's theory, based on the principle of variability, heredity and natural selection. Thanks to these laws, from generation to generation more and more new groups and species of animals arose, different from their ancestors. The constantly changing environment required animals to adapt to new living conditions. Adaptability is the key to the survival of a species. Throughout the evolution of equids, we see constant changes in jaws and limbs. From species to species, the chewing apparatus became more powerful, the limbs lengthened, and a change occurred in the method of movement. What caused such transformations? Let's talk about this in more detail...
Eohippus and Hyracotherium
The ancient ancestors of the horse appeared in the Eocene era (about 60 million years ago). One of them was Eohippus, which lived in the tropical forests of North America. Its relative, Chiracotherium, has chosen the lands of what is now Western Europe. It would be impossible to recognize in this freak (no more than half a meter tall) with a convex back, a small head on a short neck - future powerful heavy trucks, graceful Akhal-Teke horses, and Arabian horses as fast as the wind.
The ancient creature's appearance more closely resembled a dog or sheep. The paleontological remains of this animal were discovered in the 60s of the 19th century. Interestingly, the name “Eohippus” is translated as “First Horse”. Soft fruits and juicy leaves served as food for Eohippus. Therefore, his teeth were not at all like the teeth of a modern horse. They had a low crown, because they were adapted for pinching and grinding delicate vegetation. When walking, the animal rested on the four toes of its thin front paws. The hind limbs had three toes.
Remains of an ancient creature Evolution continues
The species Eohippus and Chiracotherium existed for about two tens of millions of years, from the Eocene to the Oligocene. They settled over vast territories of America and Eurasia. Where the Bering Strait is now located, in ancient times the two continents were connected by a narrow isthmus. Hyracotherium and Eohippus traveled along this “bridge.” In the end, they gave way under the sun of the prehistoric planet to larger animals, in which all limbs were equipped with three fingers. These were: mesohippus, parahippus, anchytheria. The Miocene era has arrived. It became much colder. Instead of swampy impenetrable jungles, broad-leaved forests grew, and endless steppes and meadows spread out. 
In order to survive, all branches of the horse family had to change their diet. Juicy fruits and shoots are a thing of the past. They were replaced by dry and hard grass. This led to changes in the masticatory apparatus. Enamel ridge-shaped irregularities appeared on the surface of the mesohippus teeth, and the height of the crowns increased. More advanced jaws helped chew hard food more thoroughly. The soft, swampy soil was replaced by firmament. This became the reason for the improvement of limbs in new species of ancient Equidae.
From the remains of mesohippus we see that they had three toes on all four legs. But when walking, they relied on the more developed middle finger, which ends in a hoof. The animal itself became significantly larger than its predecessors. Its height already reached 120 cm. Another species of ancient equine that lived at about the same time was Anchitheria. They made a journey from America to Asia about 24 million years ago. But that didn't help them. Anchitheria, which was as tall as a pony, died out without leaving any heirs.
One-fingered ancestors
Anchyteriums were replaced by Pliohyppus. Their zoological ancestor, Hipparion, settled in the Upper Miocene era ( 5 million years) vast areas. It displaced other types of fossil horses. Herds of thousands of hipparions migrated from North America to Asia. Then they mastered the steppe expanses of Europe. But the hipparions failed to get to Africa, Australia and South America; the seas and wide straits prevented them. The descendants of the hipparions, the one-toed pliohyppus, completely displaced all three-toed animals from the planet. The replacement of some widespread species by others occurred during the Pliocene era (5.0-2.5 million years ago).
The remains of Pliohyppus show that this animal had many of the features of a modern horse. Although the differences are still quite significant. The similarity with current species of horses is noticeable in the structure of the chewing apparatus. The enamel wave-like ridges on the teeth of Pliohyppus are more pronounced than those of its fossil predecessors. The enamel layer is thicker than, for example, that of the same hipparion. Scientists believe that the ancestors of the modern genus Equus (horse) were Pliohyppus and its descendant, Plesippus. Winning advantage.
Forced to live on the prairies, the three-toed ancestors of modern horses could no longer use their feet for support. They found themselves defenseless against ancient predators. Among their enemies were the ancestors of today's wolves. It was urgently necessary to change the way of movement and learn to run. Pleohippus become single-toed. Of course, this did not happen in one day. But already in their earlier predecessors we see a gradual modification of the limbs. Development of one finger and atrophy of the others. At pleohippus this process comes to an end. His feet already have well-developed middle toes, protected from blows by the keratinized nail (hoof). Single-toedness became a winning advantage of pliohippus in the fight against other equine species for survival. Thanks to the support of one finger, the animals rushed faster than their enemies. 
Ancient pliohyppus
Scientists find remains of pliohyppus in many parts of the world: Africa, North America, Europe. Thanks to these finds, its appearance was restored. It has an elongated skull with a narrower forehead than that of modern horses. Small teeth and thin legs with strong hooves. With the help of these bone plates, pliohippus plowed through the snow, extracting grass. Geological processes have once again changed the face of the Earth. Where the seas used to stretch, land was exposed, and isthmuses connected the continents.
There were no obstacles left for the Pliohyppus to conquer all parts of the world. They populated almost every corner of the Earth. They left a rich offspring, from which later descended those whom zoologists now unite in the equine family: zebras, wild donkeys and half-donkeys, wild Przewalski's horses and domestic horses of all breeds. And suddenly all the pliohyppus, as well as the plyosippus that descended from them, disappeared. What happened?
Colds and troglodytes
Why did all the ancient horses go extinct in North America over a short period of time a million years ago? Perhaps this happened due to continuous glaciation, to which the mainland was subjected. The return of the Equid to their historical homeland occurred only in the 15th century, during the time of the conquistodors. Africa was luckier; its climate changed without sharp fluctuations, so archaic subspecies of the horse genus - zebras and donkeys - were preserved there. In Europe and Asia, two species of then still wild horses were able to survive. They existed until the time when, in addition to all other predators, they had another dangerous and ferocious enemy. Humanoid troglodyte creatures began to hunt the ancient horses. Newly erected on two limbs, not unlike animals, future humans were effective hunters. Arranging a round-up in which the entire tribe participated, they drove the animals into a deep ravine, where they finished them off with stones and spears. After the meat of the ancient horse was eaten, it was painted on the walls of the cave. This happened during the next ice age.
Primitive horses
There have been several critical cold spells in the history of the Earth. Each of them radically changed the flora and fauna. Europe was subject to especially dramatic changes in climate and landscape. The increasingly harsh external environment accelerated the evolutionary process of the animal and plant world. That is why in Europe a subspecies of real horses has developed, which are quite different from their other neighbors in the genus - zebras and donkeys. Primitive horses that lived 10-11 thousand years ago differed little from modern horses. The transformation of the limbs and jaws, their lengthening, caused changes in the proportions of other parts of the body of the Equid.
They grew taller, their heads crowned by a long neck. It has become much more convenient to survey the surroundings, looking for danger. The structure of the brain of Ice Age horses became more and more complex, animals acquired new physiological qualities that helped them survive. But in the end, almost all wild horses were exterminated by primitive hunters. The remaining wild individuals of various species in the Neolithic became the subject of domestication.
Scientists believe that about 10 thousand years ago (the end of the Ice Age), three species of primitive wild horses, differing from each other in habitat, size and physique, became the blood forefathers of modern breeds. The animals that lived in the forests were tall and big-boned. Those who lived in the steppes and on hilly plains had graceful bodies and fast running. The color also depended on the habitat, from brown to yellowish sand.
From them came the breeds
Zoologists trace the pedigree of today's heavy trucks back to forest horses. A broad-boned, powerful animal skeleton covered with thick skin and coarse hair. The height reached more than one and a half meters at the withers. Forest horses firmly planted their powerful legs on the ground. Horse bones were discovered in layers of late Paleolithic sites excavated in river valleys from the Western Dvina to the Dnieper and Don. The remains of a forest horse have been found in other places in Europe. For example, in the territory of what is now the Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions of Russia. Researchers discovered on the shores of Lake Ladoga the bones of a very large wild horse that lived about 4 thousand years ago. If desired, in the appearance of massive heavy trucks you can see the features of their distant ancestor, who lived in the coniferous forests of the glacial and post-glacial periods. 
Big-headed steppe horse has survived to this day only in zoos. It is known as the Przewalski horse. Named after the Russian traveler who discovered this equine subgenus in the Mongolian steppes in the 19th century. Since Neolithic times, stallions and mares of this species have retained a small but well-developed body, short ears, and a coarse black mane with a “hedgehog” shape. The lower part of her muzzle is decorated with long sideburns. Savrasaya suit is found in various shades. Przewalski’s horse seems to have dark “stockings” stretched up to his knees. These small horses (height 120 - 130 cm) lived in the arid regions of Central Asia from the Stone Age to the 70-80s of the last century. Here the semi-deserts are occupied by wormwood, salt marshes, and dry thorny saxaul bushes grow in the lowlands. In search of food, herds traveled vast waterless distances. Thousands of years of harsh life have developed horses with amazing endurance. There are currently about 2 thousand steppe horses in captivity. They have not been seen in the wild for several decades.
Tarpans are another species whose blood flows through the veins of modern domestic horses. Their numerous herds crushed feather grass in the Don, Volga, Ukrainian and Crimean steppes until the second half of the 19th century. Free wild horses raced across the deserted, unplowed expanses. They were also found in Lithuanian forests, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The South Russian tarpan had a short thick neck and gray skin. There was a dark stripe running down the back in the shape of a belt. According to some evidence, the last tarpan died in the 80s of the 19th century. According to others, this happened later, in 1918-19. Zoologists believe that the blood of this tireless horse with a miniature head flows in representatives of many Russian breeds. 
Wild tarpans were distinguished by their aggressive temperament, they were careful, easily evaded pursuit, and could run for long hours at high speed. No one has been able to tame adult tarpans. Only when caught as foals, tarpans obeyed humans with difficulty. Wild tarpans were exterminated using firearms. But that is another story…