Horses belong to the genus Equus, within the family Equidae, although the term “horses” is often used informally for several extant and extinct Equus species. The domestic horse is classified as Equus caballus (or Equus ferus caballus when treated as a subspecies of the wild horse Equus ferus). Members of Equus are large, cursorial perissodactyl mammals characterized by an odd number of toes (single functional hoof), hypsodont teeth adapted for grazing, complex social structures, and high aerobic capacity. Genomic studies of Equus focus on domestication, adaptation to diverse environments, and the evolution of locomotor and musculoskeletal specializations.
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