Wild Mustang

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordate

Class: Mammal

Family: Equidae

Order: Perissodactyla

Genus: Equus

Species: Equus Ferris

Evolution

Over 50 million years ago Evidence of the first equine type animal the Eohippus. Equus domesticated by the Spanish, escaped, evolutionary became feral again.

Ancestors Of the Wild Horse:

Eohippus
Mesohius
Pilohippus
Previously domesticated Spanish Horses

Subspecies

Spanish mustang
Pryor Mountain Mustang
Kiger mustang
Cerbat mustang
Colonial Spanish Mustang
Chincoteague Pony

Key Physical traits

Hardy hooves made for wandering rough terrain, naturally trimmed.

Stallions/ Mares

Stallions =Male

Mare = Female

Stallions tend to be denser and slightly taller due to testosterone.

Diet

Diet consists of mostly grass and other plants
Obtains food by grazing.
Drink water from near by streams, lakes, seeps
Eat about 5-6 Pounds of grass per day.

Habitat And Distribution

Wild mustangs occupy every global continent except for antartica
Wild Mustangs are distibuted along sandbars and saltwater marshes along the east coast of North America
Drought Prone (less rainfall) Prairies of the American Westlands.
Wild Mustangs can thrive in any habitiat but prefer plains and steepes for more space and protection.
Wild horses can surrvive any tempature from -20 below to high 90s
Wildhorses are not seen as invasive Yet, they do compete with neighboring lifestolk for food and water.

Northern Moutain Ranges Alberta Canada.

Westrn Plains Of Utah.

Southern coatline of Outer Banks NC.

Social Structure

Horses are social animals that stay in Herds to help defend off predators
Herd size range from 2-25 individual horses
Herds consist of One alpha stallio, Mares and sometimes a beta stallion
Young Foals stay within the herd anywhere between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 Years.
Young mares then leave to join new herd and stallions form loose bands
When stallions are present a strict "social order is in place" throughout the herd"
Stallions often Follow the guidance and travel of a lead mare
Its the stallions job to protect his mares and foals from other threats or Challenging Stallions
Every interaction Wild Mustangs have with eachother has meaning rather it be subtle and passive or aggressive.

Reproduction

Mares have a 5-7 Day Heat cycle
Stallions find mates through courtship of mares in his defended herd
Wild Mustangs double in population about every 4-5 years
Stalions can breed up to 1-3 mares in a day.
Light is a Natural factor thus Mating season tends to be early spring
Mares may give birth the following spring or 11 months after conception.
Give birth to 1 foal.

Causes of death

Failure to uphold certain regulations can lead to an outbreak of Equine influenza which can whipe out herds at a time.
Occasional Moutain Lion attacks
Stallions Unable to Breed due to Comptetiton
Climate change (Stronger Droughts) Make for harsh living conditons and raising condtions.
Shrinking territory and land control.

Competition

Occasionally compete with other herds for resources
Competition with domesticated livestolk for resocurces and the ecosystem.
Compete With Wild Burros for land resources.

ICUN RED LIST

Currently Endangered
Population Increasing (Trend)
16,970-30,000 Wild Mustangs roaming free globally.

Humans have been interacting and regulating Wild horse populations since 1976
Human impact and desrie land resources and conservation have impacted climate conditions that were previously suitable for Wild mustangs.
For the best intrest of saving the wild Mustang popuation and protecting governemnt lands Round ups are excetued.

What is currently being done?

Blm or Bureau of Land Management organize Mustang round ups
Horses that are suitable are sent off to auction where ranglers and trainers take on breaking them and compete in 30-100 day transformation challenges
Horses that are not suitable for Auction are sent back to regulated ranges or placed in one of the current Five holding government facilites.
Stallions are castrated and horses are branded and receive nesesary medical attention.
BLM roundups contiue to spark controversy on wether or not they are properly being executed.

Affects of invasive species

Due to the grazing technique Wild horses have stunted the regrowth of plants and have allowed for the overgrowth of invasive plants
Cheatgrass: decreases biodiversity and rangeland productivity and alters fire regimes. Putting wild herds and neighboring wildife at risk whist decreasing food acess.

Page updated

Report abuse