Category:Przewalski Wild Horse

Przewalski's wild horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) Pronounced (sha-val-ski) hrl 220-280cm, tl with hairs—92-111cm, shoulder height 120-146 cm, weight 200-300 kg

This type of horse has a rather thick neck and a larger head than other types of wild horses. Its face is longer with a more powerful lower jaw than other wild horses. The distinguishing features of this horse are (1)a short mane that practically stands straight up, (2) there is no hair tuft on the forehead from the mane. The coloration is also distinctive. The main body is buff-reddish-yellow to brown-yellow. The legs are brown or blackish, and the underside is gray-white. The tip of the nose is whitish.They have a dorsal stripe that is dark brown to blackish, but is not highly defined as in the zebras.

It is called a kertag in Kirghiz, a takhe in Mongolian and yema in Chinese (also known as Asiatic Wild Horse, Mongolian Wild Horse, Mongolian Tarpan, Taki).

The wild horses, it is thought, fed on hard grasses, which domestic horses cannot eat, yet their neigh sounds very much like that of a domestic horse. It was observed that they would go into the desert early in the morning and spend their day there. After sundown they would go their watering and grazing areas. During the winter when there was no steady source of water, they would eat snow..

They have erect manes. They appear to be grooming each other, yet they are on sentry duty looking for predators. When they groom, they nibble each other's shoulder. Then they walk past each other until the one's head is near the tail of the other. They both swish their tails, which dislodges insects from the other's neck. They will also form a line and run with their tails swishing the insects off of the face and neck of the one following close behind it.

They were formally found in Western Asia with many herds near and in Mongolia. They eat grass and leaves. Their predators are wolves. In a herd of wild horses, there is a lead stallion that protects the group. He does not hesitate to attack any intruder. When they feed, the herd faces the stallion. The stallion also moves the slower animals by shoving them or rounding them up if they spread out too much. Another protective formation is formed by the wild horses putting their heads together in a circle formation. This way they can kick at predators. This is done with the foals in the middle of the circle. Not only are they protected, but during the winter, they are kept warm by the breathing and the body heat of all the other wild horses. During summer months, this circle formation also generates much airflow to keep the insects away.

The Przewalski horse (Equus przewalski poliakov) is the last remaining wild species of horses. All other horses are either domesticated or descended from horses which were once domesticated. Until the mid-1990's the Przewalski was extinct in the wild, exterminated by hunters. Through efforts of the Przewalski Foundation in the Netherlands and breeding preserves in Askania Nova, Ukraine, in 1992 two combined breeding groups of Przewalski horses were reintroduced to Mongolia with the ultimate plan to reintroduce the animals to the open steppe.

It was originally believed that the Przewalski horse was discovered by the Russian explorer Colonel Przewalski, for whom it is named, in 1881. More recent information from the Przewalski Horse Foundation indicates two Europeans saw these animals much earlier. A Scottish doctor who was sent on an embassy to China by Peter the Great wrote of his experiences in Journey from St. Petersburg to Pekin, 1719 - 1723 and included an accurate description of this Asiatic Wild Horse. Even earlier, Hans Schiltberger, a Bavarian nobleman, was taken prisoner by the Turks and sold to the famous Tamerlane of the Golden Horde, who in turn gave Schiltberger to a Mongol prince named Egedi. Schiltberger spent several years in the Tien Shan mountains. He wrote of the wild horses he observed in his memoirs "Journey into Heathen Parts". The unpublished manuscript was written in 1427 and is housed in the Munich Stadtbibliotek (municipal library).

Some authorities feel strongly that the Przewalski horse is the ancestor of all modern breeds. Others point out that it is a different species from the domesticated horse, having 66 chromosomes as compared to the 64 of the domestic horse. They further point out that while crosses between the Przewalski and domestic horses result in a fertile hybrid, the offspring has 65 chromosomes. Subsequent crosses result in 64 chromosomes and bear little resemblance to the Przewalski. The Foundation for the preservation and protection of the Przewalski's Horse, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, report that only a few Przewalski horses are tamable, in proportions similar to a Zebra.

Group blood testing has found several marks which are unique to the Przewalski in addition to markers which it has in common with other equids. Przewalski's horse is similar to the domestic horse though it has a smaller, more robust build, and upright mane, and a low-set tail. The most common colors are sandy tan, dun, and reddish bay. The horses have a dorsal stripe, a shoulder stripe, barring in their legs, and lighter coloring on their muzzles and bellies.

Concern about the future of the Przewalski horse led its breeders to form an international studbook in 1979 to facilitate the goals of increasing the population and reducing inbreeding. The species has also been included in the International Species Inventory System, a computer-based information system for wild animal species in captivity. There have been exchanges of breeding stock between North America and the former U.S.S.R., which now has the largest herd of Przewalski horses at Askania Nova in southern Russia.

Status: RARE. There are approximately 150 horses in North America, almost all held in zoos.