Przewalski’s horse (or Equus ferus przewalskii) is a species of wild horse living in the steppes of Mongolia, also known as the takhi, Mongolian wild horse and the Dzungarian horse. Przewalski’s horse is smaller and has a stockier build than most other equid species. It measures 2.1m to 2.6m in length and stands between 1.2m and 1.5m high at the shoulders. Mature individuals weigh between 250kg and 360kg. Males may be slightly larger than females, though there is no obvious sexual dimorphism in this species. The coat is orange-tan with a paler underside, and is accentuated by an erect black mane, thick black tail and black legs.
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Equus ferus przewalskii
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Animal Facts
The exact taxonomic status of Przewalski’s horse is still debated, some arguing it is a subspecies of what became the domestic horse, while others classify it as a separate species of wild horse.
Przewalski’s horse has 33 chromosomal pairs, whereas modern domestic horses have 32, indicating they became genetically separate long ago.
In 2020, the first cloned Przewalski’s horse was born as part of an assisted breeding programme. The foal was created using a frozen cell from a stallion that died in 1998 and is hoped to add much needed genetic diversity back into the population.
There are over 100 Przewalski’s horses living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Eastern Europe.
Przewalski’s horse is thought to be similar in appearance to what the wild ancestors of the domesticated horse could have looked like, with a dun coat and primitive markings on the back and the legs.
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