Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🐎 Earliest horse ancestor 🐎 Ancient small horse
Hyracotherium

Hyracotherium

9.9
A small extinct early horse that lived in forests long ago
  • noun
  • /ˌhaɪrəˈkɒθəriəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Hyracotherium
  • Scientists previously referred to Hyracotherium as Eohippus, meaning 'dawn horse'.

Examples

  • Fossils of Hyracotherium have provided important insights into the evolution of modern horses.

  • The small size of Hyracotherium made it well-suited to life in dense forests.

  • The Hyracotherium lived around 50 million years ago.

  • Many fossils of Hyracotherium have been discovered in North America.

  • Fossils of Hyracotherium have provided important insights into the evolution of modern horses.

  • Scientists previously referred to Hyracotherium as Eohippus, meaning 'dawn horse'.

  • The small size of Hyracotherium made it well-suited to life in dense forests.

Synonyms

eohippus
vsHyracotherium
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

is the same genus formerly known by another name

Surface Forms

Hyracotherium singular
Hyracotheriums plural

Etymology

Hyracotherium combines the Greek words hyrax, a small rock animal, and therion meaning 'beast', so the name means 'hyrax beast' and points to its small size and shape. The same animal was later named Eohippus 'dawn horse', which shows it is one of the earliest, small ancestors of today's horses.