How did horses lose their toes?
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A new study can now finally explain how and why horses evolved from having toes to hooves.
The New York Times reports that equines such as horses and zebras are unique for being the only living animals with only one toe on each foot. But this wasn't always the case.
The earliest horses were small and lived in forests, with four digits on their front legs and three on the back. Their side toes were essential, and helped carry their body weight.
As their habitat transitioned from forest to grassland, horses' bodies grew larger and their side toes started to shrink. To compensate for the extra load, the middle toe bone became thicker and more robust.
Transitioning to a single toe may have also made it easier for the animals to run farther and faster.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B examined fossilized bones of ancient horses and used computer simulation to determine how the bone structures bore the animals' weight.
RUNDOWN SHOWS:
1. Modern horses unique for having only one toe on each foot
2. Ancient horses had multiple toes
3. Side toes shrank, center toe grew larger due to habitat change and larger body size
4. Horses may run faster on single toes
VOICEOVER (in English):
"Equines such as horses and zebras are unique for being the only living animals with only one toe on each foot. But this wasn't always the case."
"The earliest horses were small and lived in forests, with four digits on their front legs and three on the back. Their side toes were essential, and helped carry their body weight."
"As their habitat transitioned from forest to grassland, horses' bodies grew larger and their side toes started to shrink. To compensate for the extra load, the middle toe bone became thicker and more robust."
"Transitioning to a single toe may have also made it easier for the animals to run farther and faster."
SOURCES:
New York Times, Science News, The Guardian
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/sc...
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/h...
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2...
***
For story suggestions please contact [email protected]
For technical and editorial support, please contact:
Asia: +61 2 93 73 1841
Europe: +44 20 7542 7599
Americas and Latam: +1 800 738 8377
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Next Animation Studio’s News Direct service provides daily, high-quality, informative 3D news animations that fill in for missing footage and help viewers understand breaking news stories or in-depth features on science, technology, and health.
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To subscribe to News Direct or for more info, please visit:
http://newsdirect.nextanimationstudio...
For story suggestions please contact [email protected]
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
A new study can now finally explain how and why horses evolved from having toes to hooves.
The New York Times reports that equines such as horses and zebras are unique for being the only living animals with only one toe on each foot. But this wasn't always the case.
The earliest horses were small and lived in forests, with four digits on their front legs and three on the back. Their side toes were essential, and helped carry their body weight.
As their habitat transitioned from forest to grassland, horses' bodies grew larger and their side toes started to shrink. To compensate for the extra load, the middle toe bone became thicker and more robust.
Transitioning to a single toe may have also made it easier for the animals to run farther and faster.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B examined fossilized bones of ancient horses and used computer simulation to determine how the bone structures bore the animals' weight.
RUNDOWN SHOWS:
1. Modern horses unique for having only one toe on each foot
2. Ancient horses had multiple toes
3. Side toes shrank, center toe grew larger due to habitat change and larger body size
4. Horses may run faster on single toes
VOICEOVER (in English):
"Equines such as horses and zebras are unique for being the only living animals with only one toe on each foot. But this wasn't always the case."
"The earliest horses were small and lived in forests, with four digits on their front legs and three on the back. Their side toes were essential, and helped carry their body weight."
"As their habitat transitioned from forest to grassland, horses' bodies grew larger and their side toes started to shrink. To compensate for the extra load, the middle toe bone became thicker and more robust."
"Transitioning to a single toe may have also made it easier for the animals to run farther and faster."
SOURCES:
New York Times, Science News, The Guardian
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/sc...
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/h...
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2...
***
For story suggestions please contact [email protected]
For technical and editorial support, please contact:
Asia: +61 2 93 73 1841
Europe: +44 20 7542 7599
Americas and Latam: +1 800 738 8377
Next Animation Studio’s News Direct service provides daily, high-quality, informative 3D news animations that fill in for missing footage and help viewers understand breaking news stories or in-depth features on science, technology, and health.
Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's news animations at http://newsdirect.nextanimationstudio...
To subscribe to News Direct or for more info, please visit:
http://newsdirect.nextanimationstudio...
7 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1396/07/07 منتشر شده
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