Equidae

Equidae is the taxonomic family of horses and related animals, including asses, zebras, and many extinct species known only from fossils. The family evolved more than 50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, from a small, multi-toed ungulate into larger, single-toed animals. All extant species are in the genus Equus, which originated in North America. Equidae belongs to the order Perissodactyla, which includes the extant tapirs and rhinoceros, and several extinct families. It is more specifically grouped within the superfamily Equoidea, the only other family being the extinct Palaeotheriidae.

Equidae

Sheba_Also 43,000 photos · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
horsePBDB
Sits inside
EquoideaPBDB
Diet
browserPBDB
Life habit
ground dwellingPBDB
Motility
actively mobilePBDB, for Osteichthyes
Environment
terrestrialPBDB, for Eutheria

Time the record covers

At least 51 million years on record.

The record covers at least 51.1 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 56 Mya to 0 Mya.

Paleocene — about 0 of 6517 occurrencesEocene — about 816 of 6517 occurrencesEoceneOligocene — about 133 of 6517 occurrencesOligoceneMiocene — about 2876 of 6517 occurrencesMiocenePliocene — about 635 of 6517 occurrencesPleistocene — about 1994 of 6517 occurrences57–55 Mya — about 94 occurrences55–53 Mya — about 228 occurrences53–51 Mya — about 228 occurrences51–50 Mya — about 65 occurrences50–48 Mya — about 32 occurrences48–46 Mya — about 25 occurrences46–44 Mya — about 15 occurrences44–42 Mya — about 15 occurrences42–40 Mya — about 15 occurrences40–38 Mya — about 13 occurrences38–36 Mya — about 27 occurrences36–34 Mya — about 48 occurrences34–32 Mya — about 43 occurrences32–30 Mya — about 25 occurrences30–29 Mya — about 17 occurrences29–27 Mya — about 17 occurrences27–25 Mya — about 19 occurrences25–23 Mya — about 29 occurrences23–21 Mya — about 75 occurrences21–19 Mya — about 79 occurrences19–17 Mya — about 184 occurrences17–15 Mya — about 317 occurrences15–13 Mya — about 391 occurrences13–11 Mya — about 451 occurrences11–9.5 Mya — about 535 occurrences9.5–7.6 Mya — about 394 occurrences7.6–5.7 Mya — about 371 occurrences5.7–3.8 Mya — about 392 occurrences3.8–1.9 Mya — about 771 occurrences1.9–0 Mya — about 1601 occurrences51.1 Mya11.7 ka57 Mya0 Mya

6,517 occurrences of Equidae on record, most of them in the Miocene. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

6,517 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

501 formations

Willwood — 44.00°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.00°WWillwood — 44.64°N, 108.43°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 109.93°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.76°WWillwood — 44.30°N, 109.00°WWillwood — 44.80°N, 109.10°WWillwood — 43.95°N, 107.57°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.86°WWillwood — 44.42°N, 108.69°WWillwood — 44.44°N, 108.63°WWillwood — 44.50°N, 108.67°WWillwood — 44.56°N, 108.70°WWillwood — 44.59°N, 108.62°WWillwood — 44.49°N, 108.54°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.79°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.54°WWillwood — 44.60°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.53°N, 108.32°WWillwood — 44.66°N, 108.53°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.72°WWillwood — 44.52°N, 108.57°WWillwood — 44.65°N, 108.90°WWillwood — 44.64°N, 108.76°WWillwood — 44.41°N, 108.79°WWillwood — 44.33°N, 108.77°WWillwood — 44.35°N, 108.75°WWillwood — 44.16°N, 107.87°WWillwood — 44.15°N, 107.87°WAsh Hollow — 42.80°N, 100.80°WAsh Hollow — 41.20°N, 101.80°WAsh Hollow — 42.39°N, 98.10°WAsh Hollow — 40.50°N, 100.50°WAsh Hollow — 42.60°N, 98.00°WAsh Hollow — 42.70°N, 100.00°WAsh Hollow — 41.70°N, 103.10°WAsh Hollow — 41.30°N, 105.10°WAsh Hollow — 43.20°N, 100.70°WAsh Hollow — 41.30°N, 101.89°WAsh Hollow — 43.40°N, 100.60°WAsh Hollow — 41.40°N, 102.40°WAsh Hollow — 42.30°N, 98.00°WAsh Hollow — 43.30°N, 102.50°WAsh Hollow — 41.10°N, 103.00°WAsh Hollow — 42.80°N, 99.70°WAsh Hollow — 42.63°N, 100.05°WValentine — 42.70°N, 100.00°WValentine — 42.49°N, 98.11°WValentine — 42.80°N, 100.80°WValentine — 42.80°N, 99.70°WValentine — 42.81°N, 100.05°WValentine — 40.02°N, 98.53°WValentine — 42.78°N, 100.03°WValentine — 40.10°N, 98.50°WValentine — 42.90°N, 98.80°WValentine — 43.20°N, 99.80°WValentine — 42.60°N, 98.00°WValentine — 42.70°N, 102.50°WShungura — 5.04°N, 36.00°EShungura — 5.08°N, 36.03°EShungura — 5.15°N, 36.04°EShungura — 5.09°N, 36.06°EKoobi Fora — 3.90°N, 36.24°EKoobi Fora — 3.98°N, 36.32°EKoobi Fora — 4.07°N, 36.37°EKoobi Fora — 3.87°N, 36.37°EKoobi Fora — 4.31°N, 36.28°EKoobi Fora — 4.22°N, 36.43°EKoobi Fora — 4.28°N, 36.24°EKoobi Fora — 3.94°N, 36.25°EKoobi Fora — 4.24°N, 36.28°EKoobi Fora — 3.78°N, 36.39°EKoobi Fora — 3.59°N, 36.24°EKoobi Fora — 3.75°N, 36.34°EKoobi Fora — 4.28°N, 36.38°EKoobi Fora — 4.06°N, 36.33°EWasatch — 41.70°N, 109.00°WWasatch — 42.70°N, 110.10°WWasatch — 41.80°N, 110.70°WWasatch — 41.20°N, 110.50°WWasatch — 40.60°N, 108.10°WWasatch — 41.80°N, 107.00°WWasatch — 40.00°N, 107.90°WWasatch — 42.37°N, 108.91°WWasatch — 41.86°N, 110.78°WWasatch — 41.83°N, 110.75°WWasatch — 41.85°N, 110.75°WPeace River — 27.90°N, 81.80°WPeace River — 27.00°N, 82.20°WPeace River — 27.50°N, 82.50°WPeace River — 27.68°N, 81.95°WPeace River — 27.81°N, 81.91°WPalm Spring — 32.90°N, 117.10°WBarstow — 34.80°N, 117.00°WBarstow — 35.07°N, 117.08°WBarstow — 35.05°N, 117.07°W"unnamed sandstone" — 33.90°N, 117.00°WMascall — 44.20°N, 120.50°WMascall — 44.90°N, 120.20°WMascall — 44.70°N, 121.20°WMascall — 44.50°N, 119.30°WMascall — 44.52°N, 119.67°WMascall — 44.00°N, 120.13°WFleming — 30.72°N, 95.28°WFleming — 29.70°N, 96.70°WFleming — 31.00°N, 93.67°WFleming — 30.61°N, 95.13°WFleming — 31.10°N, 93.10°WFleming — 30.59°N, 94.91°WFleming — 30.70°N, 94.70°WFleming — 30.50°N, 95.00°WFleming — 29.80°N, 96.90°WFleming — 30.30°N, 95.70°WFleming — 31.00°N, 93.40°WFleming — 31.05°N, 93.21°WOgallala — 36.80°N, 100.50°WOgallala — 39.80°N, 99.40°WOgallala — 36.70°N, 101.40°WOgallala — 35.70°N, 102.30°WOgallala — 38.90°N, 101.70°WOgallala — 37.20°N, 99.90°WOgallala — 39.08°N, 99.77°WOgallala — 43.20°N, 107.10°WOgallala — 35.68°N, 99.60°WOgallala — 39.02°N, 99.52°WOgallala — 35.83°N, 99.98°WOgallala — 35.88°N, 99.85°WOgallala — 35.77°N, 99.84°WOgallala — 35.79°N, 99.65°WOgallala — 35.79°N, 99.61°WOgallala — 35.62°N, 99.84°WOgallala — 35.51°N, 99.74°WOgallala — 36.78°N, 100.37°WOgallala — 35.40°N, 101.40°WOgallala — 39.95°N, 99.53°WGoliad — 28.60°N, 97.70°WGoliad — 28.34°N, 97.96°WGoliad — 28.53°N, 97.74°WGoliad — 28.70°N, 97.39°WWood Mountain — 49.20°N, 106.20°WWood Mountain — 49.17°N, 105.99°WOlcott — 42.40°N, 103.80°WOlcott — 42.19°N, 103.73°WNachukui — 4.25°N, 35.79°ENachukui — 4.15°N, 35.74°ENachukui — 4.67°N, 35.75°ENachukui — 4.19°N, 35.77°ENachukui — 4.00°N, 35.73°ENachukui — 4.10°N, 35.77°ENachukui — 2.90°N, 36.05°ENachukui — 3.08°N, 35.83°ENachukui — 3.87°N, 35.72°ENachukui — 3.93°N, 35.76°ENachukui — 4.11°N, 35.73°ENachukui — 4.43°N, 35.83°ENachukui — 4.53°N, 35.92°ENachukui — 3.68°N, 35.75°EBrule — 42.80°N, 103.10°WBrule — 40.80°N, 103.10°WBrule — 43.90°N, 102.40°WBrule — 43.30°N, 102.50°WBrule — 46.90°N, 102.80°WBrule — 43.20°N, 103.20°WBrule — 42.00°N, 104.20°WBrule — 43.85°N, 102.50°WBrule — 43.60°N, 102.45°WBrule — 46.40°N, 103.30°WBrule — 43.50°N, 101.90°WBrule — 41.70°N, 103.10°WBrule — 43.75°N, 101.47°WBopesta — 35.19°N, 118.28°WBopesta — 35.30°N, 118.50°WBopesta — 35.18°N, 118.24°WBridger — 41.70°N, 109.00°WBridger — 41.20°N, 110.50°WBridger — 41.22°N, 109.72°WBridger — 42.70°N, 110.10°WBridger — 42.42°N, 109.35°WBridger — 41.80°N, 110.70°WBridger — 41.77°N, 110.33°WBridger — 41.37°N, 109.82°WBridger — 41.08°N, 110.10°WBridger — 41.04°N, 110.23°WAlachua — 29.80°N, 82.10°WAlachua — 29.55°N, 82.52°WAlachua — 29.65°N, 82.60°WAlachua — 29.40°N, 82.60°WAlachua — 29.10°N, 82.30°WAlachua — 29.70°N, 82.60°WCaliente — 35.10°N, 120.00°WCaliente — 34.30°N, 119.00°WJohn Day — 44.90°N, 120.20°WJohn Day — 44.60°N, 119.62°WJohn Day — 44.67°N, 119.63°WJohn Day — 44.67°N, 119.65°WJohn Day — 44.76°N, 121.26°WJohn Day — 44.90°N, 121.30°WJohn Day — 44.83°N, 119.76°WJohn Day — 44.50°N, 119.30°WPunchbowl — 34.80°N, 117.00°WPunchbowl — 34.00°N, 118.20°WPunchbowl — 32.97°N, 116.68°WPunchbowl — 34.41°N, 117.85°W

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Equidae has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 477 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 2,433 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Equidae and its relatives

Miocene

Where Equidae and its relatives were recorded in the Miocene.

Found in the same rock

696 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 1,098 sites for Equidae, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

1,487 references

Each of the 6,517 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 1,475 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content2

Picture of Equidae

Credit
Sheba_Also 43,000 photos
Licence
CC BY-SA 2.0
Commercial use
the licence allows it

3D model

Source
Sketchfab
Licence
CC Attribution
Commercial use
cannot be read from the licence given — check the record

Smithsonian Open Access was not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itEquoidea through timeFormations of the MioceneThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. Gray 1821