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The Evolution of the Modern Horse

The environment is always changing. In order to survive, a species must also adapt to this environment. From bacteria to reptiles, almost all species have undergone evolution according to natural selection. Today, the most information has been found on the evolution of the modern horse, equus.
60 million years ago, a short (40-50 cm) animal roamed the ancient forest. This animal was Hyracotherium-the earliest relative of the modern horse. Hyracotherium had four toes on its front legs and 3 toes on its hind legs and a short snout. Its teeth had rounded projections and its eyes were set more in the front of the head. From the projections of the teeth we can deduce that Hyracotherium was a fruit eater. The eye placement shows that it had good depth perception. Perhaps Hyracotherium survived by using the depth perception to find fruit to eat.
After Hyracotherium (about 36 million years ago) a new ...

Posted by: Kelly G Hess

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