Mammals
Przewalski's Horse
Equus ferus przewalskii · also called takhi, Mongolian wild horse
On a Mongolian steppe at dawn, a herd of stocky dun Przewalski’s horses grazes with upright manes, descended from a few zoo animals that were brought back to the land their ancestors left.
Overview
Przewalski’s horse, Equus ferus przewalskii, is an Endangered wild horse of the Central Asian steppe. Once extinct in the wild, it has been brought back from zoo herds to live free in Mongolia, one of the best-known reintroductions of a large mammal.
A horse brought back from the zoo
The story of Przewalski’s horse shows both the power of captive breeding to save a species and the care needed to restore it to its native landscape.
Status
Endangered, with an increasing population.
Przewalski's Horse: common questions
Was Przewalski's horse ever extinct?
It disappeared from the wild in the 1960s, then was reintroduced to Mongolia from zoo-bred animals from the 1990s.
Is Przewalski's horse the ancestor of domestic horses?
No, genetic studies suggest it descends from early domesticated horses that went feral, rather than being their wild ancestor.
How is Przewalski's horse different from a domestic horse?
It is stockier, has an upright mane with no forelock, and has 66 chromosomes compared with 64 in the domestic horse.
Where is Przewalski's horse found?
It lives on the steppe and semi-desert of Mongolia, with reintroduced herds in China and Kazakhstan.