Wild steppe horses: tarpans. Tarpan - the extinct ancestor of the modern horse
Today the number of wild horses is small; the only species left in nature is the horse. The mustangs living in America are only conditionally wild, because they are descendants of feral domestic breeds. Where did it all start? What were they like before and what are they like now - wild horses?
The Greeks believed that these animals came from the sea, being the creation of the sea god, Poseidon. Horse in Greek mythology quite famous but not unsurpassed, the Chinese have their own version of the centaur, Thing-Ling, the wisest of creatures and of course half man, half horse; centaur - representation of a horse knight; the winged horse, Pegasus, also appears in Greek mythology, representing Poseidon's way of trying to show people sources of fresh water.
The tail and tail were heavy and heavy, with short hair. The hooves were adapted to the dairy environment, being large and bulky. Rob was presented with red hair mixed with black. It lived in the early days of the Pleistocene, traces have been found in Scandinavia dating back tens of thousands of years. The Tundra horse lived in northeastern Siberia.
- Where do wild horses live? Since ancient times they have been neighbors of man, inhabiting the entire territory from Europe to Siberia. The ancient Romans mentioned them in their writings. Distinctive external features of a wild horse:
- short stature;
- short legs and torso;
- dark color along the spine, lighter tone in the groin;
- protruding short mane.
The descendants of domestic ancestors have a stately body and a long mane.
He lives in the Central Asian steppes. It is most common in the forelimbs and quite rare in the hindlimbs, rarely only in the penis and never in the diagonal or lateral limbs. It is a complex condition that involves changes in the cardiovascular, endocrine, renal and gastrointestinal systems and causes changes in the immune system and blood clotting in addition to problems caused by the hoof.
The disease occurs as a result of constant and intense efforts, injuries, rheumatism, advanced pregnancy, food poisoning. Food malnutrition is common, as feeding and handling errors often occur at the same time as the owner or breeder.
Gallery: wild horses (25 photos)
The last phalanx, namely the bone located inside the hoop, is held in this position by laminar tissue that connects the hoof wall to the third phalanx. We give as an example our nail, which is “tied” to the finger through a piece of fabric. When we hit our tissues, they flame and the nail falls. In a horse, when the laminar tissue becomes inflamed, it does not have the same strength to hold the third phalanx in its original position, it is weakened. Inflammation of the tissue prevents blood from flowing through the tissue and causes it to weaken, pulling away from the walls of the hoof.
Przewalski's horse
The wild steppe horse originally lived in Asia, where it was well known to the Mongolian tribes living in the steppe. In the days of the explorer Nicholas Przhevalsky, golden-colored animals were found from the Volga to the Dzungarian desert. Small herds of wild horses loved these places due to the numerous oases.
Three forces act on the third phalanx, gravity which pushes it down, laminar tissue which keeps it parallel to the hoof and the deep flexor tendon which intervenes every time the animal takes a step. In severe cases, the third phalanx penetrates the hooves. Bolt support, where an animal must support its weight on one leg due to an accident on the other leg. Horses cannot support their weight on three legs. The forelimbs take up most of the animal's weight, and when one of them is injured and the animal does not put its weight on it, the other must take all the weight, causing the overhangs to appear.
A sharp reduction in livestock in the middle of the last century occurred due to climate change. Not everyone was able to survive the cold snap, which gave way to summer drought. But people did more damage who hunted wild horses. If it were not for zoos, today the species has already disappeared from the face of the earth.
Appearance breed is strikingly different from the rest:
Traumatic taunting occurs when a horse is subjected to excessive stress on rough terrain such as asphalt. Biochemical fun is caused by excess food, inactivity or excess carbohydrates. The endocrine origin of fur comes from a disease of the endocrine system such as Cushing's disease. Untreated, the attachment develops with the third horn detaching from the phalanx, moving, causing bulging or even puncture of the sole.
The developmental stage begins when the horse is exposed to the pathogen. At this stage, the process of separation of laminitis begins, but there is still no pain. Acute phase Begins with the first signs of rage and lasts up to 72 hours, during which there are no radiological or clinical signs of mechanical breakdown of the foot. This phase ends suddenly with the rotation of the last phalanx and its “immersion”.
- the eyes are set wide, which gives an excellent overview;
- deep chest, massive neck, no bangs;
- the back and croup are wide;
- height no more than 135 cm.
Thanks to nature lovers, projects have been ongoing for several decades to return the species to natural environment a habitat. Where does Przewalski's horse live? Today, unfortunately, the habitat is very limited - a number of nature reserves in Mongolia, China and Russia. Several herds have taken root near Chernobyl. The breed is gradually losing its viability due to the forced need for inbreeding. Whether it will be possible to save it - time will tell.
The subacute phase is a period of moderate intensity without severe signs or mechanical breakdown of the foot. It usually ends without signs of permanent damage to the laminar tissue. The chronic phase begins when the leg begins to mechanically disintegrate. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs; Symptomatology is sufficient to establish a diagnosis even in the case of less experienced practitioners.
This disease consists of: a diet with vitamin-rich laxative feeds, elimination of concentrates, keeping animals in the legs in cold water or applying cold compresses to the feet for several hours a day, administering anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, phenylbutazone, pain blocking procaine of the plantar nerve, palms, loosening horses from a horseshoe without resorting to heavy-handed treatment, a light walk, but only in a situation where hooves are not installed, providing thick and plentiful bedding.
Tarpan
Legendary animals, completely destroyed by human carelessness more than a hundred years ago. Wild Tarpan horses lived in Europe and Eurasia. They had a characteristic exterior: short stature, stocky, thick hair, short mane. They lived in the steppes in small groups. There was also a species of tarpan that lived in the forests. The wild steppe horse was larger in size, because it is much more difficult to survive in the open.
Finding the First Whispering Horses
Paleolithic hunters in Europe and Asia began exploiting horses for meat thousands of years ago, but the origins of horse domestication have long eluded archaeologists—for some fascinating reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that, for many centuries, horse skeletons did not differ significantly in size or physical structure from those of their wild ancestors, making it difficult to determine the animal's early domestication and use.
But as part of an international team of archaeologists, my colleagues and I may be getting closer to the beginning as we search for clues in Kazakhstan. We chose the region because it was here, in the heart of the Eurasian steppe, where the tarpan, a small wild horse, flourished after they disappeared from most parts of the world.
In Poland, the species survived until the beginning of the 19th century. The peasants who received Tarpans from the menagerie began to cross them with domestic breeds. The result of such spontaneous selection was the Polish Konik.
The habitats of the tarpans were developed by humans, who occupied the land for planting. Starving animals in winter ate the harvested hay, for which they were mercilessly exterminated. They were also mined for meat, which was considered a delicacy. In the 20th century Scientists have made attempts to recreate the species.
By examining the sites, we found evidence that could point to the early stages of horse domestication and help explain its initial impact on society. We discovered that early domesticated horses were eaten, milked and ridden. Stone tool inscriptions on the bones indicated a community whose diet consisted primarily of horse. Additionally, there was evidence that horses were sacrificed for religious purposes.
Some of the most common artefacts throughout the settlements at Botai are tools made from riding mandibles, which were used to prepare the wool thongs needed for equipment such as bridles, whips and whips. This confirmed the idea that the Botai horses were clothed.
Modern version
At the beginning of the last century, a breed appeared in Poland, the founder of which was the Tarpan. Where does a horse live today that looks like a plush toy? You can meet her in Belarus and Poland, where they were released by enthusiasts. Polish koniks live in many zoos around the world.
To me, the most convincing evidence that the Botai kept horses was that they suddenly appeared in large permanent settlements. There were over 160 houses on the main site of Botai, which raises the question: if people were still just walking hunters with no form of livestock or agriculture, how could they live in large communities for long periods of time without running out of wild horses? And why did they focus so much on one type of big game?
However, this body of evidence was not enough to convince many scientists that the Botai were among the world's first pastoralists, so we continued to search for more definitive evidence. With the help of geologists Michael Rosenmayer and Rosemary Capo, we collected soil samples from inside the suspected paddocks. The samples contained high levels of phosphorus and sodium, as well as traces of lipids that signal the presence of manure. Corrals would have been necessary to store herds of horses on the open steppe.
Their appearance is really similar to tarpans. Some individuals change color to white in winter. The exterior is almost the same as that of its free ancestors, but the color is much lighter. Besides geneticists say that this breed is a very distant relative of real wild horses, because it lived in domestic conditions for decades.
Finally, after more than a decade of research, our team discovered the remains of mare's milk in the pottery. One of our team members, Alan Outram, collected modern horse and milk samples from Kazakhstan for comparison and brought some of our turtles to Richard Evershed and Natalie Stair, at the University of Bristol, for biochemical analysis.
The lipids in the sherds signaled the presence of either horse meat or milk, but it was only after years of research that these dedicated chemists discovered that a deuterium marker showed that the fats from the horses in some sheep were collected in the summer—the main season when the mare milks.
In Germany, zoological scientists bred an animal that is closer to the tarpan than all other breeds. This is Heck's horse, which was born in the 30s last century. The steppe tarpan (more precisely, its modern version) lives mostly in zoos. But attempts continue to introduce representatives of this breed into the natural environment.
By identifying this by-product of domestication, we have strong evidence that the botai were indeed horses, since milking wild mares would have been incredibly difficult. Discovering these early beginnings of modern horse domestication was akin to discovering turning point. Few would dispute that the domestication of horses was pivotal in human history. Since horses were first domesticated, their cultural value has grown and their roles have diversified to include transportation, herding, hauling, plowing, dairy production, warfare, sport, and many other functions.
Wild horses of the American continent
Where do the horses live that are associated with cowboys, endless steppes, and dashing horse riding? Of course, in America. Main habitat- northern part of the country. Unfortunately, today the population of horses has sharply decreased - from several million to a couple of tens of thousands. Mustangs originate from a single herd that remained after the death of a Spanish expedition in the mid-16th century.
Moreover, no other animal had such a huge impact on geopolitics, mainly due to the successes of the imperial cavalry, and no other animal had so many professions. The domestication of horses certainly changed the course of human culture as we know it.
Images of horses have already been discovered in glacial caves. These drawings show a horse with a much slimmer, slightly bent inner head, and one that is taller, lighter, and slimmer than Kertag's. In these areas it was called "tarpan". Gmelin, who hunted and observed these horses. Other observers and researchers have recorded Tarpan stallions leading domestic horses to their herds. Often, some mares have been seen with pieces of their harness still attached to them.
The animals were partially domesticated by Indian tribes, but some remained in the wild. At first, the indigenous inhabitants of the continent mistook them for dogs, because wild horses disappeared from here a long time ago. Then people realized how much easier and move faster on horseback, and also appreciated all the beauty and strength of new friends. Both heavyweights and ponies contributed to the formation of the new species.
This would explain why many researchers have identified this horse as a native-bred and wild horse. The existence of tarpan as a separate type wild horse was strongly doubted, despite the urgent need of the zoologist Chersky, who drew attention to the difference in the structure of the skull and body of the tarpan. Antonius appreciated and criticized Russian reports about these horses. According to Falkfein's reports, herds of tarpans were still grazing freely in the mid-19th century on the plains of the Caspian and Black Seas.
This old Assyrian horse was bred in two forms: a lighter one to saddle and a heavier one to draw. Similar evidence can be seen in Persia, where horse breeding rose to higher levels. It is also believed that horse racing began in Persia, but this may be controversial. The Persians also invented royal mail delivery, where they created many horse-drawn stations throughout the country. The Arabs domesticated horses much later.
Over time, mustangs became so numerous that they were hunted for their meat and leather. Today they are crowded by numerous herds of livestock.
Russian mustangs
Not long ago, scientists found out where a horse lives that has not communicated with humans for several decades. On the territory of the Rostov region there was entire population discovered, which is isolated on an island in the middle of the lake. How did the animals get to the island? Vodny remains a mystery for now - perhaps they were “rejected” representatives of the Don breed, or simply an escaped part of the breeding stock.
There are not many large wild herds in the world:
- in Canada (Sable Island);
- in the USA (Assateague and Chinconig islands).
Therefore, scientists became very interested. Island horses are completely healthy, although they have been breeding in a closed population for half a century. Today habitat of the Don mustangs became a nature reserve. Thanks to this, the herd increased several times.
Such a joyful event had a downside - the animals began to feel a lack of drinking water, because the lake is salty, and the natural estuary is now not enough. But the people who set up a nature reserve in this area came to the rescue and installed water supply. Now the horses come to water every morning, but otherwise behave wildly. They don’t even take the food that the park staff offered them several times. Today, the study of the unique inhabitants of the reserve continues.
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Articles about Hunting
02/27/2012 | History of horses. Wild ancestors and wild horses
Ancient horses were the size of cats
The body size of mammals directly depends on climate, American paleontologists have found. Therefore, the heat of the early Cenozoic forced the first horses to become the same size as cats.
Scientists from the University of Florida decided to study the influence of air temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels on the size of mammals. The material was Paleocene and Eocene sediments from the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. Thanks to the unique completeness and detail of the section, it is possible to determine the age of the fossils contained within it with an accuracy of several thousand years.
As Jonathan Bloch, assistant professor at the university museum, said, the attention of scientists was immediately attracted by the first representatives of horses belonging to the genus Sifrhippus. Appearing on Earth 56 million years ago, these horses were small animals the size of a medium-sized dog like a miniature schnauzer and weighed about five and a half kilograms.
This is what a meeting between an ancient horse and a modern horse would look like
Over the course of 175 thousand years, the size of the ancient ancestors of horses gradually decreased, eventually becoming comparable to a skinny cat. The weight loss was 30% - up to 3.8 kilograms. However, then the parameters begin to grow, and after another 45 thousand years, Sifrhippus already weighed almost seven kilograms.
To explain these mysterious fluctuations, paleontologists analyzed the climate changes that accompanied life path sifrhippus, reports EurekAlert! Temperature and other indicators were restored based on the ratio of oxygen isotopes in fossil teeth and some features sedimentary rocks. As it turned out, the period of decrease in the size of ancient horses coincides with powerful warming, and the period of increase in size coincides with the subsequent cooling. The other listed factors did not have a noticeable effect on the growth of animals.
Reconstruction of the ancient horse Sifhrippus and comparison of its dimensions with a cat
“When we plotted the oxygen analyzes on the mass spectrometer, we immediately saw that changes in horse size and air temperature were mirror images of each other,” said lead author Ross Secord.
Philip Gingerich, who in 1989 was the first to explain the decrease in body size of some mammals during the Paleocene-Eocene by the influence of warming, fully agrees with the researchers’ conclusions. "I joke about this all the time - if humanity continues to warm the atmosphere, eventually humans will be about a meter tall," said Gingerich, who works as director of the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology. "Maybe it's not all bad, and if this is the worst, whatever could happen would be great.”
Wild ancestors of modern horses, exterminated horses, feral horses
Tarpan
The first description of the tarpan can be found in the manuscripts of Herodotus - the ancient Greek historian spoke of the tarpan as a wild Carpathian horse that could not be tamed. However, this small, mouse-colored forest animal became the ancestor of the first domesticated horses.
Tarpan in the Moscow Zoo (1884). This is the only known photograph of a living tarpan.
Tarpans, which inhabited forests in huge numbers of Eastern Europe at the beginning of our era, disappeared from the face of the earth about 200 years ago. Wild horses were killed for meat and captured to be bred with their domestic descendants. IN early XIX century, the last small population of wild tarpans in central Poland was exterminated as game by Count Zamoyski, and in 1926 the tarpan finally disappeared from the wild.
To correct the mistake and bring back the Tarpan, a breed was developed based on local horses that retained the features of a distant ancestor. Like the ancient Tarpan, representatives of the new breed have coarse short gray hair, black “stockings” on the legs and a coarse mane that sticks out almost vertically. A small herd of bred tarpans was released in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, where the young horses quickly went wild.
Dulmen
The Dulmen pony is an ancient wild horse from Westphalia (region of Germany). Dulmens come in gray or dun color, with a black belt on the back, transverse stripes on the legs like a zebra, and up to 1.35 m high at the withers. It is believed that the Dülmen are the ancestors of the Hanoverian horse breed.
The Dulmen pony was endangered for about 150 years, but was saved thanks to the efforts of a local nobleman.
Dülmen lived in a German area called Merfelder Brach (Merfeld - field of mares, old German). There is a document that, since 1316, has given the nobles who own this territory the right to dispose of wild horses at their discretion. Duke von Croy considered it his duty to restore the species, which was disappearing due to the growth of cities and the destruction of natural pastures. In 1845, there were only 35 individuals of dülmen left, which the aristocrat ordered to be caught and released on his personal estate, however, without interfering natural selection. We can now say that a large herd of healthy and strong wild animals is thriving in Westphalia.
Kulan
A resident of the steppes, the kulan is often called the horse's cousin. WITH Greek language The name of the animal literally translates as “half donkey.” It is also interesting that in the kulan, like in the camel, the body can tolerate a loss of fluid of up to 30% of body weight. However, to make up for such significant losses, the animal has learned to stock up on water in abundance: in just 5 minutes, a kulan can become heavier by a quarter of its own weight due to drinking water.
Thanks to its thick coat and natural adaptability to life in harsh conditions, the Kiang from the Moscow Zoo easily endures the Russian winter.
It is believed that the first horse harnessed to Mesopotamian chariots was the kulan, but due to his unyielding disposition, he had to be replaced with a more obedient horse. There is also a legend that it was a collision with a herd of frightened kulans that caused the death of Genghis Khan.
Kulan, despite some awkwardness, can easily outpace even the fastest riding horse in terms of speed - it is capable of running at a speed of 64 kilometers per hour along hot sand, breathing hot air.
In Tibet, the kulan is called a kiang - it is an animal well adapted to the harsh Himalayan conditions. In India, the kulan, under the name khur or Indian onager, lives in the Hindu Kush region. All of them are endangered.
Previously, in all the deserts of Asia, the kulan was found in huge numbers, but today its scattered, small populations have survived in the remote corners of Mongolia only due to their endurance.
Pottok
Pottok is a Basque pony, a short (about 1.20 m at the withers) wild horse, well adapted to life in harsh mountain conditions. Basque ponies have a calm disposition and are very hardy. Despite the fact that Pottok horses live most of their lives in freedom, they are horses that have owners who catch them once a year.
These ponies are easy to tame and are ideal for riding under saddle as a "children's" horse - the pottok does not kick, kick, bite and does not need horseshoes. Pottock carried trolleys in coal mines, was the favorite transport of refugees and smugglers who traded on the border of Spain and France, and at the same time - “a walking supply of meat with hooves.”
But despite its popularity, the pottok almost disappeared. Due to crossbreeding with all possible breeds of horses, the pottok was on the verge of degeneration. Today, this semi-wild breed has been completely rehabilitated, and even in conditions of “free” life, mares, foals and stallions are subject to strict selection.
The Przewalski's horse is considered one of the ancestors of domestic horses. Today, the Asian wild horse can be found in many zoos around the world, but this species no longer exists in the wild.
Despite the fact that the Przewalski's horse is considered one of the ancestors of domestic horses, it has significant differences, moreover, at the genetic level. Photo from the Moscow Zoo website
Until 1881, scientists were convinced that Przewalski's horse finally disappeared from the face of the earth due to the unlimited hunting of Mongolian tribes. During the expedition, Russian explorer N. M. Przhevalsky discovered the last herd of wild Asian horses. A tiny population of horses named after the scientist was miraculously preserved in the foothills of the Tien Shan, thanks to which we are able to see these animals today.
Although the Przewalski's horse is considered the ancestor of the domestic horse, genetically this species is significantly different. This wild horse has 66 chromosomes instead of 64.
The Przewalski's horse has a large head with eyes located higher than those of a domestic horse, long ears, and a thick neck. The body of the wild Asian horse is heavy, with a dark stripe along the back and stripes on the legs. Her height is 122-132 cm, her color is always bay-brown with a light nose and dark mane and tail. These horses are not tamed and cannot be ridden.
According to the archives of the Moscow Zoo, the ancestors of today's inhabitants of the enclosures were caught in the Gobi Desert in 1917. Over almost a hundred years, several generations of animals have changed. To prevent inbreeding, the zoo exchanges animals with other zoos and nurseries.
Mustang
The word "mustang" literally means "nobody's" in Spanish. Today, mustangs are called a legend of the Wild West. These horses appeared on the American continent at the very beginning of the colonization period and multiplied incredibly. According to some scientists, at the beginning of the 20th century, about two million mustangs inhabited the American prairies. It is difficult to imagine that this huge herd grew from a handful of horses that survived in the mid-16th century after the unsuccessful expedition to the Mississippi of the conquistador Hernando de Soto. It was these horses that changed the lives of the Indians who lived on the Great Plains - they learned to ride and periodically raided the Spaniards, during which entire herds broke free. Tens of thousands of Spanish horses grazed freely on the Rio Grande River, interbreeding with draft horses and ponies that had escaped from farmers. They were later joined by the old-style Friesian horses, which the US government purchased annually for military purposes.
Herds of thousands of wild horses became a problem when people began to settle the prairies and grazing land was needed for livestock. The area with sparse vegetation could not feed a huge number of animals and mustangs began to be caught to be used for household needs or exterminated in huge quantities - for meat and animal feed.
In 1971, animal advocates insisted on the adoption of a law on the protection of wild animals in the United States, thanks to which mustangs can still be found in nature reserves. The population is currently monitored by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management).
Brumby
The fate of the Australian brumby is similar to that of the American mustang. The ancestors of modern brumbies were brought for the needs of the first settlers during the gold rush, but were lost or released into the wild - these are purebred riding horses, Percherons, ponies, and many other breeds of horses. That is why the exterior and color of wild horses in Australia are so diverse.
Brumbies are not welcome in Australia. The continent did not know ungulates before their appearance, so when herds of these animals filled the bush, many local species could not compete with them in the struggle for food.
The increase in the number of brumbies and people was not encouraging. If earlier they were caught, tamed and used for household needs, now, with the advent of technology, such a need has disappeared. In addition, brumbies are difficult to tame, they are not suitable for riding, and wild herds have caused significant damage to agriculture.
In the 60s, the Australians declared war on the brumbies: the horses were shot from helicopters with guns. This species would have disappeared from the face of the earth if not for the world community. Animal rights activists were outraged by the inhumane method of hunting, in which horses were more likely to suffer severe wounds than quick death. Now the number of brumbies has decreased, but decisions on how to control their numbers are still underway.