Horse, (Equus caballus)

Horse, (Equus caballus), a hoofed, herbivorous mammal of the family Equidae.
It comprises a single species, Equus caballus, whose numerous varieties are called breeds.
 Before the advent of mechanized vehicles, the horse was widely used as a draft animal, and riding on horseback was one of the chief means of transportation.

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae.
The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature, Eohippus, into the large, single-toed animal of today.

Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up. Horses can run shortly after birth. Domestic horses have a lifespan of around 25 years. A 19th century horse named ‘Old Billy’ is said to have lived 62 years. Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton. Horses have been domesticated for over 5000 years. Horses are herbivores (plant eaters). Horses have bigger eyes than any other mammal that lives on land. Because horse’s eyes are on the side of their head they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time. Horses gallop at around 44 kph (27 mph). The fastest recorded sprinting speed of a horse was 88 kph (55 mph). Estimates suggest that there are around 60 million horses in the world. Scientists believe that horses have evolved over the past 50 million years from much smaller creatures. A male horse is called a stallion. A female horse is called a mare. A young male horse is called a colt. A young female horse is called a filly. Ponies are small horses.  .  Scientific Classification: Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Perrisodactyla Family Equidae Genus Equus Species caballus,

Lifespan: 25 – 30 years

Speed: 40 – 48 km/h (Galloping)

Scientific name: Equus caballus

Mass: 380 – 1,000 kg (Adult)

Gestation period: 11 – 12 months

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