Horses and asses | Equidae

Paardachtigen | Équidos

Only the third toe of each foot is left, and its nail has become a hoof: a horn wall growing down from the coronet, carrying on the underside an elastic frog that is pressed in at every stride and helps drive the blood back up. Upper and lower incisors meet squarely and clip grass close to the ground — closer than a ruminant can. Behind a toothless gap stand six very high cheekteeth in each half of the jaw. A mane on the neck and long hair in the tail are family traits, as are a broad range of neighs, brays, snorts and squeals and a facial expression that is readable at close quarters. Social form depends on water: where grass and water are ample, lasting bands of mares live with a single stallion; on desert steppe the stallions instead hold a territory around a drinking place and the groups are loose. One foal to a pregnancy.