Equidos: What are, characteristics and types

Equidos or horses are a group of animals belonging to the Equidos Family (Equidae) and to the order of Perisodactile ugulatedwhich are placental mammals. This family contains only a current genre, the Equus, but has had numerous extinct genres throughout its evolutionary history. Equidos are very old animals that emerged in the Pliocene. Throughout time, this animal group experienced an important diversification of species, many of which have been extinguished, leaving only fossil traces.

Equidas have been widely distributed by the continents of America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Some species of this family They have been domesticated extensively by human beings, who have used them for purposes such as transport, load, sports activities and even in war conflicts. Today, the Wild species of equidos They are mainly circumscribed to southern Africa and certain Asian regions, while domesticated forms are present throughout the world.

Equidos have a series of distinctive features of their family. Looking at their physical characteristics, equids are characterized by having a thick skull and robust bodies. Next, the most outstanding characteristics of the equids are mentioned:

Morphology

They have abundant fur, although the length of it can vary. The wild species of equids are large animals, with body weights that range between 200 and 500 kilograms. However, domestic forms show greater variability in size, with pesos ranging from less than 140 kilograms to more than 1000 kilograms.

Reproduction

The females of these species enter into heat several times a year or until they are pregnant. Most species give birth to a single breeding every two years, after a gestation period between 11 and 13 months. The potential life expectancy of the equids is between 25 and 35 years.

Feeding

Equidos are exclusive herbivores, feeding mainly with pastures and doing some ramoneo. Most drink water daily, although long periods can pass without doing so. Here you can read more about herbivorous animals: what are and examples.

Ethology

Equidos are polygamic animals that live in herds or extensive family groups, occupying large open territories such as meadows, semi -arid areas, deserts and mountains. Its communication is based on changes in the position of the ears, mouth and tail, as well as vocalizations such as whispers in horses and zebras.

Horses

The domestic horse is a perisodactyl mammal of the equid family that has been domesticated and used by humans as a shooting animal and as a ride. The horse’s female is known as mare, while male offspring are called foals or foals, and females are called potras or polanncas.

In their natural state, horses are prey of predators, so they have strong instincts of flight and defense. His first reaction to a threat is to scare and flee, but they are also able to defend themselves when they cannot escape or when their young are threatened. They are usually curious and sometimes they do not flee when discovering that there is danger, but that they investigate it first. Many chair horses have developed selecting qualities such as speed, agility, resistance and alert, inherited from their wild ancestors.

Know here these curiosities of the largest horses and horses in the world.

Donkeys

The ass or donkey It is a domestic equido. Their African wild ancestors were domesticated for the first time at the beginning of the VII Millennium AC, centuries before Euroasy horses. Since then, donkeys have been used by human beings such as cargo and mounted animals.

Domestic donkeys have a great variability of sizes. The majority measure between 0.90 and 1.40 meters to the cross, but there are races of greater raised, such as the Andalusian-Cordobesa, the Zamorano-Leonese (which can exceed 1.60 meters) and the mammut donkey (with individuals who came to measure 1.73 meters) or the Catalan donkey (which reaches 1.65 meters). In addition, the coloration and length of its fur is also very variable.

In this other post we explain the difference between donkey, donkey and mule and here we talk about World Donkey Day: when it is, why and how to celebrate it.

Zebras

The zebras are Native Wild Equidos of Africa, whose most outstanding characteristic is its distinctive scratched fur. Contrary to the previous belief, the zebras are black and the stripes they present are white. Genetically, its base color is black, and where pigmentation is not achieved, white stripes are formed.

The zebra of the plains is medium size, with a wide body and relatively short legs. The adults of both sexes reach a height of 1.5 meters and a length of approximately 2.5 meters, with a weight of about 385 kilograms. Like the other elevated species, his body is covered by black and white stripes, and no individual presents a striped pattern identical to another.

Know here what color are the zebras and other curiosities of the zebras.

Horse

• Domestic horse (Equus Ferus Caballus)
• Wild horse (Equus Ferus Ferus)
• Przewalski horse (Equus Ferus Przewalskii)

Ass

• African wild ass (Equus Africanus)
• Asian wild donkey (Equus Hemionus)
• Kiang (Equus Kiang)

Zebra

• Zebra of the plains (Equus quagga)
• GRÉVY OR Royal Cebra (Equus Grevyi)
• Mountain zebra (Equus Zebra)

Now that you know better what animals are, we encourage you to discover how horses sleep.

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