Equinae

Equinae
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent
The Equini Equus caballus (Domestic horse)
Skeleton of the three-toed equine †Hipparion (†Hipparionini)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Subfamily: Equinae
Steinmann & Döderlein 1890
Tribes

Equinae is a subfamily of the family Equidae, known from the Hemingfordian stage of the Early Miocene (16 million years ago) onwards. Members of the subfamily are referred to as equines; the only extant equines are the horses, asses and zebras of the genus Equus, with two other genera Haringtonhippus and Hippidion becoming extinct at the beginning of the Holocene, around 11–12,000 years ago. They originated in North America, before dispersing via Bering Strait to every continent (except Australia and Antarctica) where some equines eventually became domesticated. Equinae are thought to be a monophyletic grouping.

The subfamily contains three tribes, the extant Equini as well as the extinct Hipparionini and Protohippini. Members of the family ancestrally had three toes, while members of the tribe Equini from the Middle Miocene onwards developed monodactyl feet. They belong to the order Perissodactyla, meaning they are odd-toed animals.

Sister taxa

References

  1. ↑ "Paleobiology Database: Equinae basic info". Archived from the original on 2009-06-21. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  2. ↑ Cantalapiedra, Juan L.; Prado, Jose Luis L.; Hernández Fernández, Manuel; Alberdi, Mª Teresa (10 February 2017). "Decoupled ecomorphological evolution and diversification in Neogene-Quaternary horses". Science. 355 (6325): 627–630. Bibcode:2017Sci...355..627C. doi:10.1126/science.aag1772. PMID 28183978. Retrieved 13 February 2019 – via Escience.magazine.org.
  3. ↑ Cantalapiedra, Juan L.; Sanisdro, Oscar L.; Cantero, Enrique; Prado, Jose Luis; Alberdi, Mª Teresa Luis (4 August 2023). "Evolutionary Radiation of Equids". In Prins, Herbert H.; Gordon, Ian J. (eds.). The Equids, A Suite of Splendid Species. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer. pp. 27–45. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-27144-1_2. ISBN 978-3-031-27143-4 – via www.springer.com.
  4. ↑ B. J. MacFadden. 1998. Equidae. In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America
  5. ↑ Janis, Christine M. (2023), "Asymmetry of Evolutionary Patterns Between New World and Old World Equids and Among New World Equine Tribes", in Casanovas-Vilar, Isaac; van den Hoek Ostende, Lars W.; Janis, Christine M.; Saarinen, Juha (eds.), Evolution of Cenozoic Land Mammal Faunas and Ecosystems, Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 143–164, doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17491-9_10, ISBN 978-3-031-17490-2, retrieved 2025-10-21
  6. ↑ Janis, Christine M.; Bernor, Raymond L. (2019-04-12). "The Evolution of Equid Monodactyly: A Review Including a New Hypothesis". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 7. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00119. hdl:1983/ede09e37-96f7-4baf-aec5-1bb7766a04e7. ISSN 2296-701X.