| Equus stenonis Temporal range: Early Pleistocene | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Species: | †E. stenonis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Equus stenonis Cocchi, 1867 | |
Equus stenonis is an extinct species of equine that lived in Western Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene epoch.
Specimens of Equus stenonis varied considerably in body size. The feet are monodactyl, the head is large and elongated and has an undulated top profile in side-view, the nasal notch is deeply incised. The braincase is flexed downward and is relatively small. The teeth have a v-shaped linguaflexid separating the metaconid and metastylid, similar to other "stenonines". The limb bones are relatively large and robust. The metapodial bones of the foot are proportionally elongate and robust, with the central digit having a massive morphology, with a large v-shaped muscle scar. [1]
Equus stenonis is known from remains found across Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to Greece, as well as the Dmanisi site in Georgia, spanning part of the Early Pleistocene, the oldest remains dating to approximately 2.5 million years ago, while the youngest dates are uncertain, ranging from 1.8-.1.3 million years ago. [1]
The species was first named in 1867, with the type specimen being IGF 560, a skull with a now lost (but preserved as a cast) associated mandible collected from Terranuova Bracciolini in Italy. Several subspecies have been named, including E. stenonis vireti, E. stenonis guthi, E. stenonis pueblensis, E. stenonis olivolanus and E. stenonis stenonis, which likely represent different ecomorphotypes adapted to varying local conditions. [1]
The African species Equus koobiforensis and E. oldowayensis are closely related to E. stenonis. [2] E. koobiforensis and E. stenonis have been proposed to be closely related to zebras. [1]
Barron-Ortiz et al. (2019) resurrect the genus Allohippus for Equus stenonis based on the results of their cladistic analysis regarding the interrelationships of the genus Equus, [3] though this was subsequently rejected by other authors. [1]
Equidae is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including the extant horses, asses, and zebras, and many other species known only from fossils. The family evolved around 50 million years ago from a small, multi-toed ungulate into larger, single-toed animals. All extant species are in the genus Equus, which originated in North America. Equidae belongs to the order Perissodactyla, which includes the extant tapirs and rhinoceros, and several extinct families.
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Meganthropus is an extinct genus of non-hominin hominid ape, known from the Pleistocene of Indonesia. It is known from a series of large jaw and skull fragments found at the Sangiran site near Surakarta in Central Java, Indonesia, alongside several isolated teeth. The genus has a long and convoluted taxonomic history. The original fossils were ascribed to a new species, Meganthropus palaeojavanicus, and for a long time was considered invalid, with the genus name being used as an informal name for the fossils.
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Equus is a genus of mammals in the family Equidae, which includes horses, asses, and zebras. Within the Equidae, Equus is the only recognized extant genus, comprising seven living species. Like Equidae more broadly, Equus has numerous extinct species known only from fossils. The genus most likely originated in North America and spread quickly to the Old World. Equines are odd-toed ungulates with slender legs, long heads, relatively long necks, manes, and long tails. All species are herbivorous, and mostly grazers, with simpler digestive systems than ruminants but able to subsist on lower-quality vegetation.
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Paranthropus robustus is a species of robust australopithecine from the Early and possibly Middle Pleistocene of the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, about 2.27 to 0.87 million years ago. It has been identified in Kromdraai, Swartkrans, Sterkfontein, Gondolin, Cooper's, and Drimolen Caves. Discovered in 1938, it was among the first early hominins described, and became the type species for the genus Paranthropus. However, it has been argued by some that Paranthropus is an invalid grouping and synonymous with Australopithecus, so the species is also often classified as Australopithecus robustus.
Paranthropus boisei is a species of australopithecine from the Early Pleistocene of East Africa about 2.5 to 1.15 million years ago. The holotype specimen, OH 5, was discovered by palaeoanthropologist Mary Leakey in 1959 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania and described by her husband Louis a month later. It was originally placed into its own genus as "Zinjanthropus boisei", but is now relegated to Paranthropus along with other robust australopithecines. However, it is also argued that Paranthropus is an invalid grouping and synonymous with Australopithecus, so the species is also often classified as Australopithecus boisei.
Equus scotti is an extinct species of horse native to Pleistocene North America.
Equus lambei, commonly known as the Yukon horse or Yukon wild horse, is an extinct species of the genus Equus. Equus lambei ranged across North America until approximately 10,000 years ago. Based on recent examinations of the mtDNA of Equus lambei remains, scientists have concluded that E. lambei was probably much like the extinct tarpan, also known as the Eurasian wild horse, and the living Przewalski's horse. A partial carcass of Equus lambei is on display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon.
The European wild ass or hydruntine is an extinct equine from the Middle Pleistocene to Late Holocene of Europe and West Asia, and possibly North Africa. It is a member of the subgenus Asinus, and closely related to the living Asiatic wild ass. The specific epithet, hydruntinus, means from Otranto.
Mammuthus meridionalis, sometimes called the southern mammoth, is an extinct species of mammoth native to Eurasia, including Europe, during the Early Pleistocene, living from around 2.5 million years ago to 800,000 years ago.
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Equus namadicus is a prehistoric equid, known from remains dating to the Middle and Late Pleistocene from across the Indian subcontinent, with its last dated records being approximately 29-14,000 years ago. It is considered a "stenonine horse", meaning that it is probably more closely related to zebras and asses than true horses. It is relatively large in size. It is very similar to the earlier Equus sivalensis, also from the Indian subcontinent, from which it only differs in size and in subtle aspects of dental anatomy, and it has sometimes been suggested to be a synonym of it.
Hippidion is an extinct genus of equine that lived in South America from the Late Pliocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian), between 2.5 million and 11,000 years ago. They were one of two lineages of equines native to South America during the Pleistocene epoch, alongside Equus (Amerhippus) neogeus.
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