Ten facts about horses
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TAYLORVILLE — Horses are majestic and fascinating animals, and these 10 interesting facts show just how incredible these beautiful animals are.
Dogs may be man’s best friend, but horses have been companion and assistance ani- mals for millenia. In fact, archaeological evidence indicates that humans formed intermingled relationships with horses nearly 5,500 years ago.
Horses provided people with much of the essentials they required for group survival. Khan Academy indicates that the domestication of the horse ushered in an era of innova- tion in transport and commu- nication. Horses also were invaluable animals on the farm or in early villages.
Horses still serve many prac- tical functions, but they’re more often than not compan- ion animals or relied on for riding hobbies and sport. Horses are majestic and fasci- nating animals, and these 15 interesting facts show just how incredible these beautiful ani- mals are.
1. Horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.
2. Horses have the largest eyes of any mammal that live on land.
3. People once believed horses were colorblind. In fact, horses can see colors, but are better at detecting yellows and greens than purples and violets.
4. A horse’s body contains 205 bones.
5. Because a horse’s eyes are on the side of its head, it is capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.
6. The fastest sprinting speed ever recorded for a horse is 55 miles per hour, though they generally trot at around four miles per hour.
7. Horses evolved from a very small animal about the size of a dog or baby lamb that was called a hyracotherium. This ancestor lived in tropical rain forests in North America and ate leaves.
8. Hooves are made from the same protein that comprises human fingernails and hair.
9. The Przewalski’s horse is the only truly wild horse species still in existence. The last remaining wild population is in Mongolia.
10. A male horse is called a stallion, while a young male horse is a colt. A female horse is a mare, while a young female is a filly.