13. Oct. 2020 / by /   CONOCIENDO LA ESPECIE / 0 comments

Zoological classification of the Horse

Special characteristics of a horse may be better understood by briefly studying the horses’ zoological classification. The following table starts with the species (Equus caballus) and opens to the animal kingdom.

Species: Equus caballus

All domestic and wild horse breeds of today.

Genus: Equus

Horses, Zebras, and Asses (donkeys).

Family: Equidae

Today’s species of Genus Equus and their ancestors.

They are mono-gastric (non-ruminant) with a large cecum (the
first portion of the large intestine).

Have 36 to 40 well-distinguishable teeth (incisors, canines,
premolars, and molars).

Have a cylindrical body with a medium-long neck that permits
the mouth to reach the grass.

Have one toe per foot covered by a hoof.

Sub-Order: Perissodactyla

Have an odd number of toes on their feet (one or three toes
per foot), each toe covered by a hard, keratinized structure (called hoof).

Order: Ungulata

 Herbivores
with big, flat premolars and molars adequate for chewing roughage.

Also have
long legs ending in hooves.

Sub-Class: Eutheria

Develop placenta for the fetus during pregnancy.

Class: Mammalia

They lactate their offspring after birth.

Super-Class: Tetrapoda

Have four legs for locomotion.

Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata

Animals with a spinal column.

Phylum: Chordata

Have bilateral symmetry and a central nerve cord.

Sub-Kingdom: Eumetazoa

All animals except sponges.

Kingdom: Animalia

All animals.

SOME LEARNINGS FROM THE TABLE:

  • The horse is an animal species with a central nerve cord (protected by the spinal column). Having the spine as the reference point, the left and right sides of the animal look alike.
  • Horses have big, flat premolars and molars adequate for chewing roughage. They are mono-gastric (one stomach) with a large cecum (the first portion of the large intestine) that allow them to use roughage as their source of nutrients.
  • Because equine graze about 17 hours a day and the feed intake rate is slow (which matches with having a small stomach), they should be fed small frequent amounts, instead of big amounts few times a day.
  • Their medium-long neck allows the mouth to reach the grass from the ground level.
  • Each of the four long legs of a horse end on a foot that consists of one toe covered by a hoof (a hard, keratinized structure).
  • The female horse (called ‘mare’) develops placenta for the fetus during pregnancy and lactates the offspring after birth.

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