Merychippus
E901980
Merychippus is an extinct genus of early horse that lived during the Miocene and is notable for its evolutionary transition toward high-crowned teeth and more efficient running adaptations.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
extinct genus
ⓘ
mammal ⓘ perissodactyl ⓘ prehistoric horse ⓘ |
| belongsToClade |
Equidae
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Equinae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| bodySize | larger than earlier horses such as Mesohippus ⓘ |
| class | Mammalia ⓘ |
| commonName | early horse ⓘ |
| diet |
grass-eating mammal
ⓘ
grazer ⓘ |
| enamelAdaptation | thickened dental enamel for abrasive grasses ⓘ |
| evolutionarySignificance |
ancestor of later one-toed horses
ⓘ
important stage in horse evolution ⓘ |
| evolutionaryTrend |
increasing limb length and specialization for speed
ⓘ
transition from browsing to grazing ⓘ |
| extinctionStatus | extinct ⓘ |
| family | Equidae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | Middle Miocene NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| fossilRecord | well represented in Miocene deposits of North America ⓘ |
| fossilTypeLocality | North America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| foundIn | North America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalAge |
approximately 11 million years ago
ⓘ
approximately 17 million years ago ⓘ |
| habitat |
open grasslands
ⓘ
savanna-like environments ⓘ |
| jawAdaptation | deep jaws for powerful chewing muscles ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| limbAdaptation |
elongated limbs
ⓘ
more efficient cursorial locomotion ⓘ |
| livedDuring | Miocene NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locomotion | obligate runner ⓘ |
| namedBy | Joseph Leidy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
adaptations for more efficient running
ⓘ
evolutionary transition toward high-crowned teeth ⓘ |
| order | Perissodactyla NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Equus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Parahippus NERFINISHED ⓘ Pliohippus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| subfamily | Equinae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| taxonRank | genus ⓘ |
| toeNumber | three functional toes on each foot ⓘ |
| toothType | hypsodont ⓘ |
| weightBearingStructure | enlarged central toe ⓘ |
| yearDescribed | 1858 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.