HOME | DD

Description

Species Name: Takhi

Species Latin Name: Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus przewalskii

Also Known As: Mongolian Wild Horse, Dzungarian Horse, Przewalski's Horse

Native To: The steppes of Central Asia

Conservation Status: Endangered

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 2 meters (6.6 feet)

Size (height): 122 – 142cm (48.0 – 44.9 inches)

Weight: 200 – 300kg (440.9 – 661.4 pounds)

Top Speed: 69kmh (42.9 mph)

Lifespan: 20-25 years

Population Size: 1,988

Population Trend: Increasing

Diet: Herbivore, graminivore

Lifestyle: Terrestrial, cursorial, precocial, grazing, viviparous

Group Name: Team, harras, stable, troop, stud, herd, band

Female Name: Mare, dam

Male Name: Stallian, stud

Baby Name: Foal, colt

Mating Behaviour: Polygyn

Reproductive Season: April - May

Pregnancy Duration: 11 months

Births per pregnancy: 1 Foal

Independent Age: 6 – 13 months

Age of Sexual Maturity: 2 years

Description:

These horses are the only truly wild horse species left in the world, they genetic studies have shown that these horses are descended from domestic horses belonging to the Botai culture. Since then these horses have become 'feral' and have lost all domesticated traits within them in their lineage making them the last of the truly wild undomesticated horses in nature today.

Unlike other horses we are used to seeing their bodies are rather short and stocky, they have shorter legs but longer hoofs with thicker soles. The main colour of their fur is a shade of beige to reddish-brown in colour. Their mane is a dark brown colour and remains erect throughout the entire mane, their main is a shade of lighter brown along the flanks. Around their end of their face, their eyes and along their belly their fur is more of a lighter gray colour compared to the rest of their bodies. The fur along their lower legs towards the hooves will be more of a dark brown and will feature a kind of primitive marking to them.

Diet:

Takhi's are herbivores and will generally eat a variety of different grasses, they can also eat other foots such as various plants, fruit, sometimes bark, leaves and buds. In captivity they can be fed hay, grain, and alfalfa. Their diet will change depending on the season as it appears they will favor certain plants over others depending on whether it is the colder or warmer seasons, furthermore it appears that during the winter they will also chew their food much slower than they would in other seasons. It is believed that this behaviour is left over imprinted behavior they developed as a means to combat starvation due to predictable seasonal cycles.

Prefered food for Takhi in the wild during Springtime:

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens)

Grey Hair-grass also known as Gray clubawn grass (Corynephorus canescens)

Lamb's Quarters also known as Melde, Goosefoot, Wild Spinach, Fat-hen, and White Goosefoot (Chenopodium album)

Volga Fescue (Festuca valesiaca)

Preferred food for Takhi during the Summer:

Cock's-foot also known as Orchard Grass, and Cat Grass (Dactylis glomerata), generally eaten in the early summer

Species of Clover or Trefoil (Trifolium), generally eaten in the early summer

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens), generally eaten in the late summer

Tufted Vetch also known as Cow Vetch, Bird Vetch, Blue Vetch, and Boreal Vetch (Vicia cracca), generally eaten in the late summer

Prefered food for Takhi in the wild during Winter:

Species of apple trees under the spcies: Malus sylvatica

Sillow trees that come under the species: Salix spp

Common Pears (Pyrus communis)

Scots Pine, also known as Scotch Pine and Baltic Pine (Pinus sylvestris)

Species of roses under the genus: Rosa spp

Trees known as Alders under the genus Alnus and the species Alnus spp

Festuca (Fescue)

Austrian Bromegrass also known as Awnless Brome, Hungarian Brome, Russian Bromegrass, and Smooth Bromegrass (Bromus inermis)

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens)

Behaviour:

Takhi's can use a variety of different methods to communicate with one another including vocalizations, visualizations, and through their sense of smell. Like other horses they will make sounds like neighs, nickers, or snorts to indicate the expectation of food or another horse, these sounds can also be used to show affection, and alarm other horses in their herds of a potential threat. One of the methods of visual communication these animals will use is lowering their heads low to the ground to display anger, their moods can also be determined through changes in the positions of their ears, mouth and tail. They mark their territories with urine, these horses have a great sense of smell and hearing and can detect scents and sounds from great distances.

These horses are active during the day and will generally congregate in herds that will consist of around 10 – 20 individuals. These herds are either harems which consist of many females and a single dominant male, or they can consist of bachelor herds of only males. In harem herds the lone male Stallion is responsible for mating with and protecting the females from threats and rival males, the stallion will often be seen patrolling the boundaries of the harem herds territory. Members of a harem herd will consist of the lone old stallion, his mares, and foals, together they will form strong bonds with each other as they feed together and practice mutual grooming. Bachelor herds on the other hand will be more loosely organized as each member will travel and feed in a more solitary manner, social grooming is rarely seen in bachelor herds. These horses will maintain visual contact with all the members of horses within their herd.

As already stated these horses have a polygynous mating system that consist of harem herds. Whilst one stallion will be in one of these harem herds there are cases where the stallion will form a preferred relationship with a singular mare, these pairs will generally remain close together in the herd for years at at time. They will mate and breed during the spring months usually between April – May. Females will be pregnant for about 11 months and they will give birth to a single foal in the months of April – June the following year. The babies are born at a highly developed level and will generally be standing and following their mother within an hour of birth. Foals will begin grazing as early as a few weeks after birth but will not be fully weaned from their mothers until 6 – 13 months after birth. The foals will reach sexual maturity after two years of age, at this time the younger males are chases away by the dominant male in the herd and the younger females will disperse on their own to join other harems. Younger males in bachelor herds will generally not attempt to mate until they reach 5 years of age, when they reach this stage they will either gather a group of females together into a harem of their own or they will challenge the dominant male of an existing harem for dominance.

Threats:

For some time this species was actually completely extinct in the wild. A few factors played a role in this including them being hunted by humans, predation by Himalayan Wolves (Canis lupus chanco), conflicts with humans, degradation of their natural habitats, and the competition of resources from domestic livestock.

Breeding programs have managed to increase their numbers in captivity to such a degree that they are able to be reintroduced into the wild. These animals are no longer extinct in the wild and their numbers are nearly at 2000 individuals as a result. It is stated that before this there were as little as 12 of these horses left in captivity in the 1950's, this means that all Takhi alive in the wild and in captivity are descendants from those 12 horses.

Despite the breeding program this species still has many issues to overcome in the future, particularly they still compete with resources with regular domesticated horses. Furthermore there is also the issue of interbreeding between the Takhi and domesticated horses which could reduce the numbers of pure bred Takhi's. These horses are also currently still hunted by Himalayan Wolves but they don't seem to pose much of an issue regarding their total numbers. Thankfully it appears that their numbers are still increasing so it seems that their future seems bright for the time being.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przewals…

Animal Diversity: animaldiversity.org/accounts/E…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/przewa…

Animalia: animalia.bio/przewalskis-horse

Description

Species Name: Takhi

Species Latin Name: Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus przewalskii

Also Known As: Mongolian Wild Horse, Dzungarian Horse, Przewalski's Horse

Native To: The steppes of Central Asia

Conservation Status: Endangered

Photo Taken At: N/A

Size (length): 2 meters (6.6 feet)

Size (height): 122 – 142cm (48.0 – 44.9 inches)

Weight: 200 – 300kg (440.9 – 661.4 pounds)

Top Speed: 69kmh (42.9 mph)

Lifespan: 20-25 years

Population Size: 1,988

Population Trend: Increasing

Diet: Herbivore, graminivore

Lifestyle: Terrestrial, cursorial, precocial, grazing, viviparous

Group Name: Team, harras, stable, troop, stud, herd, band

Female Name: Mare, dam

Male Name: Stallian, stud

Baby Name: Foal, colt

Mating Behaviour: Polygyn

Reproductive Season: April - May

Pregnancy Duration: 11 months

Births per pregnancy: 1 Foal

Independent Age: 6 – 13 months

Age of Sexual Maturity: 2 years

Description:

These horses are the only truly wild horse species left in the world, they genetic studies have shown that these horses are descended from domestic horses belonging to the Botai culture. Since then these horses have become 'feral' and have lost all domesticated traits within them in their lineage making them the last of the truly wild undomesticated horses in nature today.

Unlike other horses we are used to seeing their bodies are rather short and stocky, they have shorter legs but longer hoofs with thicker soles. The main colour of their fur is a shade of beige to reddish-brown in colour. Their mane is a dark brown colour and remains erect throughout the entire mane, their main is a shade of lighter brown along the flanks. Around their end of their face, their eyes and along their belly their fur is more of a lighter gray colour compared to the rest of their bodies. The fur along their lower legs towards the hooves will be more of a dark brown and will feature a kind of primitive marking to them.

Diet:

Takhi's are herbivores and will generally eat a variety of different grasses, they can also eat other foots such as various plants, fruit, sometimes bark, leaves and buds. In captivity they can be fed hay, grain, and alfalfa. Their diet will change depending on the season as it appears they will favor certain plants over others depending on whether it is the colder or warmer seasons, furthermore it appears that during the winter they will also chew their food much slower than they would in other seasons. It is believed that this behaviour is left over imprinted behavior they developed as a means to combat starvation due to predictable seasonal cycles.

Prefered food for Takhi in the wild during Springtime:

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens)

Grey Hair-grass also known as Gray clubawn grass (Corynephorus canescens)

Lamb's Quarters also known as Melde, Goosefoot, Wild Spinach, Fat-hen, and White Goosefoot (Chenopodium album)

Volga Fescue (Festuca valesiaca)

Preferred food for Takhi during the Summer:

Cock's-foot also known as Orchard Grass, and Cat Grass (Dactylis glomerata), generally eaten in the early summer

Species of Clover or Trefoil (Trifolium), generally eaten in the early summer

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens), generally eaten in the late summer

Tufted Vetch also known as Cow Vetch, Bird Vetch, Blue Vetch, and Boreal Vetch (Vicia cracca), generally eaten in the late summer

Prefered food for Takhi in the wild during Winter:

Species of apple trees under the spcies: Malus sylvatica

Sillow trees that come under the species: Salix spp

Common Pears (Pyrus communis)

Scots Pine, also known as Scotch Pine and Baltic Pine (Pinus sylvestris)

Species of roses under the genus: Rosa spp

Trees known as Alders under the genus Alnus and the species Alnus spp

Festuca (Fescue)

Austrian Bromegrass also known as Awnless Brome, Hungarian Brome, Russian Bromegrass, and Smooth Bromegrass (Bromus inermis)

Couch Grass also known as Common Couch, Twitch, Quick Grass, Dog Grass, Quack Grass, Scutch Grass, and Witchgrass (Elymus repens)

Behaviour:

Takhi's can use a variety of different methods to communicate with one another including vocalizations, visualizations, and through their sense of smell. Like other horses they will make sounds like neighs, nickers, or snorts to indicate the expectation of food or another horse, these sounds can also be used to show affection, and alarm other horses in their herds of a potential threat. One of the methods of visual communication these animals will use is lowering their heads low to the ground to display anger, their moods can also be determined through changes in the positions of their ears, mouth and tail. They mark their territories with urine, these horses have a great sense of smell and hearing and can detect scents and sounds from great distances.

These horses are active during the day and will generally congregate in herds that will consist of around 10 – 20 individuals. These herds are either harems which consist of many females and a single dominant male, or they can consist of bachelor herds of only males. In harem herds the lone male Stallion is responsible for mating with and protecting the females from threats and rival males, the stallion will often be seen patrolling the boundaries of the harem herds territory. Members of a harem herd will consist of the lone old stallion, his mares, and foals, together they will form strong bonds with each other as they feed together and practice mutual grooming. Bachelor herds on the other hand will be more loosely organized as each member will travel and feed in a more solitary manner, social grooming is rarely seen in bachelor herds. These horses will maintain visual contact with all the members of horses within their herd.

As already stated these horses have a polygynous mating system that consist of harem herds. Whilst one stallion will be in one of these harem herds there are cases where the stallion will form a preferred relationship with a singular mare, these pairs will generally remain close together in the herd for years at at time. They will mate and breed during the spring months usually between April – May. Females will be pregnant for about 11 months and they will give birth to a single foal in the months of April – June the following year. The babies are born at a highly developed level and will generally be standing and following their mother within an hour of birth. Foals will begin grazing as early as a few weeks after birth but will not be fully weaned from their mothers until 6 – 13 months after birth. The foals will reach sexual maturity after two years of age, at this time the younger males are chases away by the dominant male in the herd and the younger females will disperse on their own to join other harems. Younger males in bachelor herds will generally not attempt to mate until they reach 5 years of age, when they reach this stage they will either gather a group of females together into a harem of their own or they will challenge the dominant male of an existing harem for dominance.

Threats:

For some time this species was actually completely extinct in the wild. A few factors played a role in this including them being hunted by humans, predation by Himalayan Wolves (Canis lupus chanco), conflicts with humans, degradation of their natural habitats, and the competition of resources from domestic livestock.

Breeding programs have managed to increase their numbers in captivity to such a degree that they are able to be reintroduced into the wild. These animals are no longer extinct in the wild and their numbers are nearly at 2000 individuals as a result. It is stated that before this there were as little as 12 of these horses left in captivity in the 1950's, this means that all Takhi alive in the wild and in captivity are descendants from those 12 horses.

Despite the breeding program this species still has many issues to overcome in the future, particularly they still compete with resources with regular domesticated horses. Furthermore there is also the issue of interbreeding between the Takhi and domesticated horses which could reduce the numbers of pure bred Takhi's. These horses are also currently still hunted by Himalayan Wolves but they don't seem to pose much of an issue regarding their total numbers. Thankfully it appears that their numbers are still increasing so it seems that their future seems bright for the time being.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przewals…

Animal Diversity: animaldiversity.org/accounts/E…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/przewa…

Animalia: animalia.bio/przewalskis-horse