Name:
Mesohippus (Greek for "middle horse"); pronounced MAY-so-HIP-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of North America
Historical Epoch:
Late Eocene-Middle Oligocene (40-30 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 4 feet long and 75 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; three-toed front feet
About Mesohippus:
You can think of Mesohippus as Hyracotherium (the horse previously known as Eohippus) advanced a few million years: this prehistoric horse represented an intermediate stage between the smallish forest animals of the early Eocene epoch and the large plains browsers (like Hipparion and Hippidion) that dominated the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. About the size of a deer, Mesohippus was distinguished by its three-toed front feet (earlier horses sported four toes on their front limbs) and the wide-set eyes set high atop its long, horse-like skull.
