Eurygnathohippus Woldegabrieli Is A New Species Of Horse, 4.4 Million Years Old
Thursday, December 12, 2013 - 14:01
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A new species of fossil horse from 4.4 million-year-old fossil-rich deposits in Ethiopia, Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli, was about the size of a small zebra, Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli, had three-toed hooves and grazed the grasslands and shrubby woods in the Afar Region, according to its naming in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The horse fills a gap in the evolutionary history of horses but is also important for documenting how old a fossil locality is and in reconstructing habitats of human forebears of the time, said Scott Simpson, professor of anatomy at Case Western Reserve's School of Medicine, and co-author of the research. "This horse is one piece of a very complex puzzle that has many, many pieces." read more