Przewalski horses (Equus ferus ssp. przewalskii)

Przewalski horses (Equus ferus ssp. przewalskii)

Context: Przewalski horses are being reintroduced to the Kazakh steppe.

About:

• The Kazakh steppe is the native habitat of this endangered species. Przewalski horses are commonly referred to as one of the world’s last breeds of wild horses.
• Appearance: Stockily built with large heads, shorter legs and smaller size than the domestic horses.
• They are genetically different from modern domestic horses. Przewalski has 33 chromosome pairs, compared to 32 for the domestic horse.
• Behaviour: Horses maintain visual contact with their family and herd at all times and communicate using multiple methods, including vocalisations, scent marking, and a wide range of visual and tactile signals.
• Gestation Period: 11–12 months. They reach sexual maturity at two years of age.
• The horses are capable of resisting harsh winters like the ones in Kazakhstan, where temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees C, and food runs scarce.
• Distribution: Mainly in China and Mongolia, but also in France and Russia.
• Przewalski horses flourished even in the Chornobyl exclusion zone between Belarus and Ukraine.
• It is named after the Russian geographer and explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky.
• Once extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia in the Khustain Nuruu National Park, Takhin Tal Nature Reserve, and in Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
• IUCN status: EN.