Eohippus

My favorite extinct mammal is the Eohippus. This name means “dawn horse” and is said to be an ancestor of the modern horse. Some of you may know this creature as the Hyracotherium, or hyrax-like beast. For those of you that do call the Eohippus “Hyracotherium,” DON’T CALL IT THAT. You should only call it that if you are trying to adhere to calling it by the first name, or if you possibly think that name is better than Eohippus. Other horses in the series flow better with that name Going in reverse order it goes Equus, Merrchippyus, Miohippus, then Mesohippus. What name sounds best to end off the sequence? Also, think about it, would you rather be called a horse, or “something that resembles a hyrax.” By the way, if you don’t know what a hyrax is, check http://www.awf.org/content/wildlife/detail/hyrax to find out. By the way, all comments referring to the Eohippus by its bad name will be deleted, seriously I will do it. Now that that’s out of the way, the reason the Eohippus has its bad name is all about timing. A paleontologist named Richard Owen dug up an Eohippus skeleton in 1841, saw some similarities between it and a hyrax and decided to call it the bad name. Later, Ontheil C. Marsh found another Eohippus skeleton in 1876. He saw that it was truly more like a horse than a hyrax and decided to call it Eohippus. They found out they were the same species and called it the bad name, just because it came first. Just because it came first doesn’t mean its right. I can name several examples of how this is true but I don’t feel like it. The Eohippus is about 2 feet in length and 8 to 9 inches tall. Unlike Equus, it has 4 toes on its front feet and three on its hind feet. Eohippus was probabably a browser, which means that it ate from bushes. Its family is currently considered Palaeotheriidae, not the same as horses, but it is genetically related. Do not try looking up this family. You will find nothing but this : This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Strike that, the material was there, but it was hidden for some reason. You will find some info, but it is still a stub. Anyway, that it is it for the Eohippus, aka The name which must not be said. Next, I will discuss my favorite prehistoric bird which has also had a name change.