Przewalski's Horse

Equus ferus przewalskii

Przewalski's Horse

“ It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse... ”

– Adlai E. Stevenson

Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Perissodactyla

Family: Equidae

Genus: Equus

Species: Equus ferus

Subspecies: Equus ferus przewalskii

Descendant: Wild horse

Named by: Ivan Semyonovich Polyakov

Year Published: 1881

Size: Typical height is about 12–14 hands (48–56 inches, 122–142 cm), and length is about 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in). It weighs around 300 kilograms (660 lb)

Lifespan: 30+ years

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period: Holocene

Alignment: Loyal

Threat Level: ★★★★

Diet: Herbivorous 🌿

Elements: Normal, combat

Inflicts: Stunned

Weaknesses: all

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Endangered (EN) – IUCN Red List 

Przewalski's Horse (Russian: Пржевальский, Russian IPA: [prʐɨˈvalʲskʲɪj]), Polish: [pʂɛˈvalskʲi]) (Equus ferus przewalskii), also called the Takhi, Mongolian Wild Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered horse originally native to the steppes of Central Asia. 

Etymology

It is named after the Russian-Polish geographer and explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky.

Physical Appearance

Long before the domestication of the horse, between 38,000 and 160,000 years ago, their ancestors' lineages diverged from a single ancestor. In contrast to the American Mustang or the Australian brumby, which are instead feral horses evolved from domesticated animals, Przewalski's horse was long thought to be the last truly wild horse. Compared to its domesticated ancestors, the Przewalski's horse is smaller, shorter, and more compactly formed. The usual weight is about 300 kg (660 lb), and the typical height is about 12-14 hands (48-56 inches, 122-142 cm). They have dark primitive patterns and a dun coat with pangaré characteristics.


Another characteristic of primitive markings is the frequent faint striping on Przewalski's horse's legs. The tail is roughly 90 cm (35.43 in) long, with a longer dock and shorter hair than observed in domesticated horses. The mane is upright and does not extend as far forward. In comparison to wild horses, Przewalski's horse's feet are longer in the front and have noticeably thicker sole horns, an adaptation that enhances hoof performance on terrain.

Abilities

Each kick, groom, tilt of the ear, or other contact with another horse is a means of communicating. All breeds of horses are one of the few mammals immune to venom in snakes, along with the honey badger, pig, mongoose, and hedgehog, because immunity is only for adults. But, aside from young foals, adult horses do not typically die from the toxic venom from a snake bite.

Weather Phenomenon

Ecology

Przewalski reported the horses forming troops of between five and fifteen members, consisting of an old stallion, his mares and foals. Modern reintroduced populations similarly form family groups of one adult stallion, one to three mares, and their common offspring that stay in the family group until they are no longer dependent, usually at two or three years old. Young females join other harems, while bachelor stallions as well as old stallions who have lost their harems join bachelor groups. Family groups can join to form a herd that moves together.


The patterns of their daily lives exhibit horse behavior similar to that of feral horse herds. Stallions herd, drive, and defend all members of their family, while the mares often display leadership in the family. Stallions and mares stay with their preferred partners for years. While behavioral synchronization is high among mares, stallions other than the main harem stallion are generally less stable in this respect. Home range in the wild is little studied, but estimated as 1.2–24 km2 (0.46–9.3 sq mi) in the Hustai National Park and 150–825 km2 (58–319 sq mi) in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area. The ranges of harems are separated, but slightly overlapping. They have few modern predators, but one of the few is the Himalayan wolf.


Horses maintain visual contact with their family and herd at all times, and have a host of ways to communicate with one another, including vocalizations, scent marking, and a wide range of visual and tactile signals. This constant communication leads to complex social behaviors among Przewalski's horses. The historical population was said to have lived in the "wildest parts of the desert" with a preference for "especially saline districts". They were observed mostly during spring and summer at natural wells, migrating to them by crossing valleys rather than by way of higher mountains.


Przewalski horse's diet consists mostly of vegetation. Many plant species are in a typical Przewalski's horse environment, including: Elymus repens, Carex spp., Fabaceae, and Asteraceae. Looking at the species' diet overall, Przewalski's horses most often eat E. repens, Trifolium pratense, Vicia cracca, Poa trivialis, Dactylis glomerata, and Bromus inermis.


While the horses eat a variety of different plant species, they tend to favor different species at different times of year. In the springtime, they favor Elymus repens, Corynephorus canescens, Festuca valesiaca, and Chenopodium album. In early summer, they favor Dactylis glomerata and Trifolium, and in late summer, they gravitate towards E. repens and Vicia cracca.


In winter the horses eat Salix spp., Pyrus communis, Malus sylvatica, Pinus sylvestris, Rosa spp., and Alnus spp. Additionally, Przewalski's horses may dig for Festuca spp., Bromus inermis, and E. repens that grow beneath the ice and snow. Their winter diet is very similar to the winter diet of domestic horses, but differs from that revealed by isotope analysis of the historical (pre-captivity) population, which switched in winter to browsing shrubs, though the difference may be due to the extreme habitat pressure the historical population was under. In the wintertime, they eat their food more slowly than they do during other times of the year. Przewalski's horses seasonally display a set of changes collectively characteristic of physiologic adaptation to starvation, with their basal metabolic rate in winter being half what it is during springtime. This is not a direct consequence of decreased nutrient intake, but rather a programmed response to predictable seasonal dietary fluctuation.

Behavior

Horses are frequently quite sociable and inquisitive creatures. However, because of their size and propensity for fear, it is crucial to be able to read their fundamental body language clues before approaching. Horses send off more nuanced indications than dogs do, which include wagging tails to indicate happiness and friendliness.

Distribution and Habitat

Steppes and wide grasslands are home to wild horses. Due to its widespread distribution, the domesticated horse no longer has a specific habitat. Until the late 18th century, this species ranged from the Russian Steppes east to Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northern China. After this time, the species went into catastrophic decline. The last wild population of Przewalski’s Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) survived until the mid-20th century in southwestern Mongolia and adjacent Gansu, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia (China). Wild horses were last seen in 1969, north of the Tachiin Shaar Nuruu in Dzungarian Gobi Desert in Mongolia.


Tamed

Equids, unlike other animals and beings, do not require feeding. It's easy to tame because all you have to do is hop on its back. While it may buck you off a couple of times at first, if you stay persistent, you'll have the equid under control in no time. If you're lucky, you'll be able to tame it all at once.

Lore

Coming soon

Known Individuals

Gallery

Foreign Languages

Trivia