PaleoDB taxon number: 42984
The odd-toed ungulate family Equidae includes all living and fossil horses. It spread throughout the northern hemisphere shortly after it originated in the earliest Eocene and reached Africa by the late Miocene. It was diverse and abundant in North America throughout the Cenozoic, and several subclades including the low-crowned anchitheriines, the high-crowned hipparionines, and the modern genus Equus emigrated to the Old World at different times.
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Full reference: J. E. Gray. 1821. On the natural arrangement of vertebrose animals. The London Medical Repository Monthly Journal and Review 15:296-310
Parent taxon: Equoidea according to J. J. Hooker and D. Dashzeveg 2004
Sister taxa: Cymbalophus, Pachynolophidae, Palaeotheriidae
Subtaxa: Anchitheriinae, Duchesnehippus, Eohippus, Epihippus, Equinae, Erihippus, Gobihippus, Hipphaplus, Hypohippidium, Hyracotheriinae, Lophiopus, Minippus, Orohippus, Plesiohipparion, Pliolophus, Protohippinae, Protorohippus, Sifrhippus, Sivalhippus, Xenicohippus
Type: Equus
Ecology: ground dwelling browser