- Parahippus
Taxobox
name = "Parahippus"
fossil_range = EarlyMiocene
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammalia
ordo =Perissodactyla
familia =Equidae
genus = "Parahippus""Parahippus" is an extinct relative of the modern
horse , very similar to "Miohippus ", but slightly larger.About 20 million years ago, during the
Miocene Period, the earth was drastically changing: great plains were developing, forests were thinning out, mountains were forming, and swamps were drying up. Fact|date=February 2007 It is believed these developments affected many changes in the existing horse ancestors. Fact|date=February 2007Since leafy food had become scarce, these animals were forced to subsist on the newly-evolved
grass es that were by now taking over the plains, and their teeth adapted accordingly. The extra molar crest that was variable in "Miohippus" became permanent in "Parahippus". The molars developed high crowns and a hard covering for grinding the grass, which was typically covered with high-silica dust and sand. Fact|date=February 2007"Parahippus" was larger than "Miohippus", with longer legs and face. The bones in the legs were fused and this, along with muscle development, allowed "Parahippus" to move with forward-and-back strides. Flexible leg rotation was eliminated, so that the animal was better adapted to fast forward running on open ground without moving from side to side. Most importantly, "Parahippus" was able to stand on its middle toe, instead of walking on pads, which gave it the ability to run faster; its weight was supported by ligaments under the
fetlock to the big central toe. The side toes were almostvestigial , and seldom touched the ground. Fact|date=February 2007ee also
*
Evolution of the horse References
* [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/horses/horse_evol.html Horse Evolution]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/7841/horse_evol/others.html Evolution of the Horse]
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