:: Day 226 - March 14th ::
Over the weekend a new exhibit opened up at the El Paso Zoo, the Przewalski's Wild Horses.
The Przewalski's wild horse (pronounced p)she-VAHL-skeez) went extinct in the wild during the 1960s. Thanks to zoos and other facilities where small groups of Przewalski's horses still survived, a breeding conservation program was established in 1977. Today there are approximately 325 re-introduced and native-born Przewalski's wild horses living in the wilds of Mongolia.
The Mongolian name for these horses is takhi, which means spirit. Horses are central to Mongolian culture, and takhi are a symbol of their national heritage. The Przewalski's wild horse may be the closest living wild relative of the modern horse. DNA evidence shows that modern horses are descended from not one, but several wild populations suggesting that they were domesticated in different areas of the world.
Just the Facts
The Przewalski's Horse is smaller than our domesticated horse. They sport short and Mohawk-like manes. They have short guard hairs on their tails and unlike domestic horses, have a dark stripe that runs from the mane down the back to the top edge of the tail. The horses also have a pony-like head, stand 48-56 inches at the shoulder and weigh about 750 pounds.
