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''Sivalhippus'' is an extinct genus of horse that lived in Africa and the Indian subcontinent during the late Miocene.
This genus has a convoluted taxonomic history. After being described as a distinct genus, the holotype of ''Sivalhippus theobaldi'', GSI 153, was later referred to ''Hippotherium'' and then ''Hipparion'', as was the case with most other hipparionin species for most of the 20th century. Later, Skinner and MacFadden (1977), MacFadden and Bakr (1979), and MacFadden and Woodburne (1982) reassigned ''Sivalhippus'' to the North American genus ''
Taxonomy
This genus has a convoluted taxonomic history. After being described as a distinct genus, the holotype of ''Sivalhippus theobaldi'', GSI 153, was later referred to ''Hippotherium'' and then ''Hipparion'', as was the case with most other hipparionin species for most of the 20th century. Later, Skinner and MacFadden (1977), MacFadden and Bakr (1979), and MacFadden and Woodburne (1982) reassigned ''Sivalhippus'' to the North American genus ''Cormohipparion
''Cormohipparion'' is an extinct genus of horse belonging to the tribe Hipparionini that lived in North America during the late Miocene to Pliocene ( Hemphillian to Blancan in the NALMA classification). This ancient species of horse grew up to l ...
'' based on similarities with specimens of that genus.MacFadden, B. J.; Skinner, M. F. (1982). "Hipparion Horses and Modern Phylogenetic Interpretation_ Comments on Forsten's View of Cormohipparion". Journal of Paleontology (Paleontological Society) 56 (6): 1336–1342. . . However, a 2013 review of Sivalik hipparionins found ''Sivalihippus'' to be distinct from ''Cormohipparion'' and more closely related to ''Proboscidipparion
''Proboscidipparion'' is an extinct genus of horse that lived in Eurasia during the Pliocene around 7.1 - 4 million years ago. It is known for having a rather elongated skull, in which some speculate to have had a proboscis similar to a tapir. F ...
'' and '' Cremohipparion'' than to ''Cormohipparion''.
Paleobiology
Like other extinct horses, the habitat ( biome) of ''Sivalhippus'' consisted of non-forested, grassy plains, shortgrass prairie orsteppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the temperate grasslands, ...
s. Although ''Cremohipparion''-like horses have been found in younger deposits of the Sivalik Hills, they tend to be much rarer.Dominik Wolf, Raymond L. Bernor and Taseer Hussain (2013). "A Systematic, Biostratigraphic, and Paleobiogeographic Reevaluation of the Siwalik Hipparionine Horse Assemblage from the Potwar Plateau, Northern Pakistan". Palaeontographica Abteilung A 300 (1–6): 1–115.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q24883463 Cenozoic mammals of Asia Miocene horses Miocene Perissodactyla Miocene genus first appearances Prehistoric placental genera