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Glite Dictionary
🐎 Earliest horse ancestor 🐎 Ancient small horse
Hyracotherium

Hyracotherium

9.9
A small extinct animal that was an early ancestor of horses
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Hyracotherium
  • Scientists consider Hyracotherium to be one of the earliest ancestors of modern horses.

Examples

  • The small size and multi-toed feet of Hyracotherium distinguish it from present-day horses.

  • The fossil remains of Hyracotherium have been discovered in both Europe and North America.

  • The Hyracotherium roamed the Earth over 50 million years ago.

  • Did you know that the Hyracotherium was the size of a dog?

  • Scientists consider Hyracotherium to be one of the earliest ancestors of modern horses.

  • The fossil remains of Hyracotherium have been discovered in both Europe and North America.

  • The small size and multi-toed feet of Hyracotherium distinguish it from present-day horses.

Synonyms

eohippus
vsHyracotherium
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small extinct animal with four toes that is an early horse relative

is the modern genus name replacing that older name
dawn horse
vsHyracotherium
  • Specialized
9.9

A small extinct animal like an early horse about the size of a dog with four toes

is the scientific genus name for that same animal

Surface Forms

Hyracotherium main

Etymology

Hyracotherium comes from Greek parts hyrax, a small rock animal, and therion meaning 'beast', so the name originally meant 'hyrax beast' because it looked like a small hyrax. It was later also called Eohippus meaning 'dawn horse', which helps explain that it is a very early, small ancestor of modern horses.