Yukon Wild Horse

''Equus lambei'', commonly known as the Yukon horse or Yukon wild horse, is an extinct species of the genus ''Equus''. ''Equus lambei'' ranged across North America until approximately 10,000 years ago. Based on recent examinations of the mtDNA of ''Equus lambei'' remains, scientists have concluded that ''E. lambei'' was probably much like the extinct tarpan, also known as the Eurasian wild horse, and the living Przewalski's horse. ^8] A partial carcass of ''Equus lambei'' is on display at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Description

Evidence from ''E. lambei'' mtDNA has shown that ''Equus lambei'' is a close relative of the modern wild horse, including the domestic horse, '' Equus caballus''. Controversy still surrounds ''E. lambei'' and the divergence of other similar extinct horse species. Through examinations of the bones and teeth of ''Equus lambei'', many similarities can be seen with the modern horse ''Equus caballus''. There is also a strong resemblance to ''E. lambei'' in the metapodials of ''E. caballus przewalskii'' and the phalanges of ''E. caballus lenensis''.

Metrical and morphological studies of horse teeth from the Bluefish Caves confirm the close similarity between ''Equus lambei'' with wild and domestic horses alive today. ''E. lambei'' is a ''caballus'' horse, not an ass. Among living horses, the Yukon horse most closely resembles the Przewalski's horse (''Equus caballus przewalskii'') from Mongolia (once extinct in the wild) particularly in size and proportions. However, the upper foot bones (metapodials) of ''Equus lambei'' are slender compared to Przewalski's horse. The bones of ''E. lambei'' also closely resemble the proximal phalanges of ''E. caballus lenensis'', an extinct subspecies from the late Pleistocene of Siberia.

Natural history

Along with steppe bison (''Bison priscus''), woolly mammoths (''Mammuthus primigenius'') and caribou (''Rangifer tarandus''), ''Equus lambei'' was one of the most common ice-age species known to occupy the steppe-like grasslands of Eastern Beringia. ''E. lambei'' can be identified by numerous teeth and bones, and one partial carcass discovered in 1993. This ''E. lambei'' carcass yielded a radiocarbon date of 26,280 ± 210 years BP. The carcass consisted of a large part of the hide, a few tailbones, one lower leg, and some intestine. The hide retained some long blondish mane and tail hairs, coarse whitish upper body hairs, and dark brown hairs on the lower leg. Large numbers of ''E. lambei'' teeth have been found in archaeological sites in the Yukon.

Based on the fossil records discovered in the Yukon, ''Equus lambei'' is believed to have been a small, slender, caballoid horse (about tall), with a broad skull and a relatively long protocones.

Social structure

Specifically, the records indicates that ''E. lambei'' had a multi-seasonal presence in the same region as other horse species, and a social structure similar to other wild horses. Family herds included four to ten females with their young and an adult alpha stallion. Other males were gathered in less socially stable bachelor herds, and consist from groups of two to four adults. These two herds did not often share territories.

Habitat and diet

Both family and bachelor herds were non-selective grazers that forged mostly in a savannah-like regions. These horses fed mostly on grasses, sedges, poppies, mustards, and other flowers such as buttercups and roses. ''Equus lambei's'' preferred environment is believed to have been a woodland with sparse clumps of trees. Overall, ''E. lambei'' is considered to have been resistant to varying climatic conditions, although most individuals of this species seemed to have died in the winter season. It is also likely that the ''Equus lambei'' was susceptible to wolf predation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q742335

Equus (genus)
Pleistocene horses
Holocene extinctions
Pleistocene mammals of North America
Fossil taxa described in 1917