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    Wild and Domesticated

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    bakos1adrien
    There is one species of domestic horse but over 400 breeds that specialize in different activities. Wild horses still exist and live in herds led by a dominant stallion. The only truly wild horse is the Przewalski's horse, which only exists in captivity now. Horses have hooves, tails, manes, teeth adapted for grazing and vary in size and coat depending on breed. They live worldwide in association with humans and prefer grasslands, steppes and savannahs. Males compete and defend females during mating season.

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    Wild and Domesticated

    Uploaded by

    bakos1adrien
    12 views3 pages
    There is one species of domestic horse but over 400 breeds that specialize in different activities. Wild horses still exist and live in herds led by a dominant stallion. The only truly wild horse is the Przewalski's horse, which only exists in captivity now. Horses have hooves, tails, manes, teeth adapted for grazing and vary in size and coat depending on breed. They live worldwide in association with humans and prefer grasslands, steppes and savannahs. Males compete and defend females during mating season.

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    There is one species of domestic horse but over 400 breeds that specialize in different activities. Wild horses still exist and live in herds led by a dominant stallion. The only truly wild horse is the Przewalski's horse, which only exists in captivity now. Horses have hooves, tails, manes, teeth adapted for grazing and vary in size and coat depending on breed. They live worldwide in association with humans and prefer grasslands, steppes and savannahs. Males compete and defend females during mating season.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    12 views3 pages

    Wild and Domesticated

    Uploaded by

    bakos1adrien
    There is one species of domestic horse but over 400 breeds that specialize in different activities. Wild horses still exist and live in herds led by a dominant stallion. The only truly wild horse is the Przewalski's horse, which only exists in captivity now. Horses have hooves, tails, manes, teeth adapted for grazing and vary in size and coat depending on breed. They live worldwide in association with humans and prefer grasslands, steppes and savannahs. Males compete and defend females during mating season.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Wild and Domesticated

    There is only one species of domestic horse, but around 400 different breeds that specialize in
    everything from pulling wagons to racing. All horses are grazers.

    While most horses are domestic, others remain wild. Feral horses are the descendents of once-tame
    animals that have run free for generations. Groups of such horses can be found in many places
    around the world. Free-roaming North American mustangs, for example, are the descendents of
    horses brought by Europeans more than 400 years ago.

    Wild horses generally gather in groups of 3 to 20 animals. A stallion (mature male) leads the group,
    which consists of mares (females) and young foals. When young males become colts, at around two
    years of age, the stallion drives them away. The colts then roam with other young males until they
    can gather their own band of females.

    The Przewalski's horse is the only truly wild horse whose ancestors were never domesticated.
    Ironically, this stocky, sturdy animal exists today only in captivity. The last wild Przewalski's horse
    was seen in Mongolia in 1968.

    What do they look like?


    Horses have oval-shaped hooves, long tails, short hair, long slender legs, muscular and deep
    torso build, long thick necks, and large elongated heads. The mane is a region of coarse
    hairs, which extends along the dorsal side of the neck in both domestic and wild species.
    The teeth are specialized for grazing, with cheekteeth that are complex and grow
    continually. Thick, winter coats start developing in September and October, are fully grown
    by December. Winter coats begin to shed in the spring and summer coats are more sleek and
    thin.

    Domestication of horses has led to wide variation in the characteristics of breeds of horses.
    Coats vary in color, from white to black and including reds, browns, and yellows, as well as
    a wide variety of patterns, such as spots and pinto patterns. Size can vary depending on the
    breed, but can range from 227 to 900 kg in mass and 0.9 to 1.7 meters in height.
     Other Physical Features
     endothermic
     homoiothermic
     bilateral symmetry
     Sexual Dimorphism
     sexes alike
     Range mass
    227 to 900 kg

    500.00 to 1982.38 lb

     Range length
    220 to 280 cm

    86.61 to 110.24 in

     Average basal metabolic rate


    0.11 cm3.O2/g/hr
    Where do they live?
    The ancestors of horses were found from northernmost Africa, throughout mainland Europe,
    and east through Asia. In the Late Glacial period they were also found throughout North
    America, but they became extinct there between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago. Domestic
    horses are now found throughout much of the world in association with humans.
     Biogeographic Regions
     nearctic

     introduced
     native

     palearctic

     native

     oriental

     native

     ethiopian

     introduced

     neotropical

     introduced

     australian

     introduced

     oceanic islands

     introduced
     Other Geographic Terms
     holarctic
     cosmopolitan
    What kind of habitat do they need?
    Horses are adaptable and occupy a wide variety of habitats under domestication. Preferred
    habitats are cool, temperate grasslands, steppes, and savannahs, but they also occupy semi-
    deserts, swamps, marshes, and woodlands. (Bennett and Hoffmann, 1999)
     These animals are found in the following types of habitat
     temperate
     polar
     terrestrial
     Terrestrial Biomes
     tundra
     savanna or grassland
     forest
     Wetlands
     marsh
     swamp
     Other Habitat Features
     agricultural
     riparian

    How do they reproduce?


    Male horses herd females during the mating season and defend them against other males,
    who may be trying to mate with the females. Males fight with other males through kicking
    and biting. Status in the herd determines which animals have access to resources; alpha
    males dominate access to resources, followed by females and their young, and t

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