The Hagerman Horse (Equus simplicidens) is the predecessor of modern horses. The Hagerman Horse is the earliest example of the genus Equus. Like modern horses, but unlike the earlier ancestors, the Hagerman Horse was single-toed with a single hoof. The Hagerman site contains the largest sample—hundreds of individuals—found anywhere in North America. The horse originally evolved in North America and later migrated to Asia via the Bering Land Bridge. About 8,000 years ago, the horse became extinct in North America.
Note: the Hagerman Horse is the State Fossil of Idaho.
Shown below are some of the displays about the horse in the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman, Idaho.
The display shown above shows Hagerman horse fossils in a protective cast. This is the way material comes into the lab for the paleontologists to analyze.
Shown above is a skull.
Shown above is a foal.
Shown above is the lower dentary.
Shown above are adult and juvenile incisors.
Shown above are molars.
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