Megahippus – Extinct Equidae

The Megahippus is one of the rarer species of equidae so it’s fossils (& images of them) are actually quite difficult to come by. These animals lived around 15-11 million years ago during the Miocene.

Highly Specialized Eaters

The few fossils that do exist of the Megahippus show that they ate a highly specialized diet of leaves. This was during a time when most horse species dental records show they were moving exclusively to grazing on grass.

Perhaps their specialized diet was what led to their eventual demise.

A Different Look

Fossil records show us that animals that graze on grass tend to have broader snouts. The Megahippus on the other hand had a fine, narrow little snout which is common to leaf eaters. Their physiology was well suited to eating small, budding leaves rich in nutritional value. I couldn’t find an image of any fossils, so I settled for a spring leaf bud instead.

Not An Exact Science

Sadly we didn’t have scientists millions of years ago, so trying to piece together the history of horses is tricky business. There is a considerable amount of controversy when it comes to the taxonomy & lineage of extinct equidae. Be sure to meet some of the others like Mesohippus, Orohippus, Eohippus and Hipparion.