Origins of the Horse

Mad About Horses

Dr. Chris Mortensen traces the evolutionary path of horses beginning about 65 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs, leading to the present day. He discusses how massive environmental and other changes influenced the physical development and nature of horses over the years.

Dr. Mortensen describes how early horses went from a forest-dwelling, four-toed creature called Eohippus, to a single-toed, grassland-residing equid through the process of evolution and adaptability. He also touches upon various species of early horses, interpreting their survival or extinction based on how they adapted to the changing world. In addition, the show explains how the nature of horses made them a classical representation of evolution.

The first part of this evolution series wraps up with a look at the proto-horse Marychippus, setting the stage for the emergence of the Equus genus, to be discussed in the next episode.

Podcast Timeline

00:00 Introduction to the Evolution of Horses

00:00 The World 65 Million Years Ago

00:51 The Impact of the Fifth Mass Extinction

01:26 Survival and Evolution Post-Extinction

02:18 The Emergence of Eohippus: The First Horse

04:46 Understanding Evolution and Fossil Formation

05:48 The Evolutionary Journey of Horses

25:19 The Transition from Forests to Grasslands

31:10 The Emergence of Single-Toed Horses

32:12 The Modern Day Genus of Equus

33:26 Conclusion and Future Discussions

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