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Glite Dictionary
Mesohippus

Mesohippus

1 9.9
A small extinct horse with three toes on each foot that lived in North America millions of years ago
  • noun
  • Specialized
: Mesohippus
  • The Mesohippus roamed North America millions of years ago.

Examples

  • The Mesohippus roamed the plains of North America.

  • Fossil evidence shows that Mesohippus had three toes on each foot.

  • Scientists study Mesohippus to understand the evolution of modern horses.

  • Did you know that Mesohippuses were smaller than modern horses?

  • The fossils of Mesohippus provide valuable insights into the evolution of horses during the Oligocene epoch.

  • Scientists believe that Mesohippus was one of the first ancestors of modern horses, with distinct features like long legs.

  • Excavations of Mesohippus fossils have helped researchers understand the habitats these early horses thrived in.

Surface Forms

Mesohippus singular
Mesohippi plural

Etymology

Mesohippus comes from the Greek parts meso- meaning 'middle' and hippos meaning 'horse'. It was named because it was a middle-sized, early horse between older kinds and the modern horse, so the name 'middle horse' helps you remember it was an ancestor in the middle stage of horse history.