''Pseudhipparion'' is an extinct
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of three-toed
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
endemic to
North America during the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
. They were herding animals whose diet consisted of C3 plants. Fossils found in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
indicate that it was a lightweight horse, weighing up to 90 pounds (40 kilograms). In 2005, fossils were unearthed in
Oklahoma. Seven species of ''Pseudhipparion'' are known from the fossil record which were very small, following the trend of
Bergmann's rule.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16947144
Miocene horses
Miocene odd-toed ungulates
Prehistoric placental genera
Miocene mammals of North America
Barstovian
Clarendonian
Hemphillian
Fossil taxa described in 1904
Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino