Prague, Berlin zoos to reintroduce wild horses to Kazakhstan
Prague zoo said Tuesday it would transport eight endangered wild horses to a Kazakhstan steppe in June in a joint project with the Tierpark Berlin zoo.
Prague zoo said Tuesday it would transport eight endangered wild horses to a Kazakhstan steppe in June in a joint project with the Tierpark Berlin zoo.
Ecology
Mar 5, 2024
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1
Some people from an ancient community in what is now northern Italy were interred with animals and animal parts from species such as dogs, horses and pigs. The reasons remain mysterious, but might indicate an enduring companion ...
Archaeology
Feb 14, 2024
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220
Large introduced herbivores such as feral horses and camels are often seen as "invasive" species which damage native plants.
Ecology
Feb 2, 2024
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1
Equine scientists at Nottingham Trent University wanted to see how the level of arousal in horses—the extent to which they might be excited or stressed for instance—affected their performance in a cognitive task.
Plants & Animals
Jan 16, 2024
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8
A new study from a University of Colorado Boulder researcher, conducted with colleagues in Argentina, sheds new light on how the introduction of horses in South America led to rapid economic and social transformation in the ...
Archaeology
Dec 24, 2023
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133
A large international team of archaeologists, geologists, historians, and anthropologists has found that people living in what is now Argentina's Patagonian region had learned to raise, ride, and eat horses as early as 1600. ...
Researchers at Maynooth University, working as part of an international team, have created a new molecule that could help in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
Biochemistry
Nov 21, 2023
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86
A new study by RMIT has found carbon emissions from Australian alpine peatlands to be much higher in areas disturbed by feral horses. The paper, "Carbon emissions from Australian Sphagnum peatlands increase with feral horse ...
Environment
Nov 8, 2023
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3
When racing season arrives, everyone becomes an expert on the horses that are the stars of the spectacle.
Plants & Animals
Nov 6, 2023
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63
Australia approved on Friday the aerial shooting of wild horses in one of the country's largest national parks, resuming a contentious practice that authorities described as "essential" to protect native wildlife.
Ecology
Oct 27, 2023
1
1
48, listed here
The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a hoofed (ungulate) mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC; by 2000 BC the use of domesticated horses had spread throughout the Eurasian continent. Although most horses today are domesticated, there are still endangered populations of the Przewalski's Horse, the only remaining true wild horse, as well as more common feral horses which live in the wild but are descended from domesticated ancestors.
There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors, markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior. Horses are anatomically designed to use speed to escape predators, and have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight instinct. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. Female horses, called mares, carry their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a foal, can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under saddle or in harness between the ages of two and four. They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years.
Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as draft horses and some ponies, suitable for slow, heavy work; and "warmbloods", developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are over 300 breeds of horses in the world today, developed for many different uses.
Horses and humans interact in many ways, not only in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, but also in working activities including police work, agriculture, entertainment, assisted learning and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare. A wide variety of riding and driving techniques have been developed, using many different styles of equipment and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as veterinarians and farriers.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA