The record of Cenozoic horses in Mexico: current knowledge and palaeobiological implications

Fossil horses in Mexico have been documented for 150 years. At present, there exists an abundant and diverse record that deserves consideration. In this contribution, we offer an overview of the current knowledge on the fossil horses in Mexico. The Mexican record of the family Equidae includes early...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Palaeobiodiversity and palaeoenvironments 2016-06, Vol.96 (2), p.305-331
Main Authors: Priego-Vargas, Jaime, Bravo-Cuevas, Victor Manuel, Jiménez-Hidalgo, Eduardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Biodiversity
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Paleontology
Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Review
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Summary:Fossil horses in Mexico have been documented for 150 years. At present, there exists an abundant and diverse record that deserves consideration. In this contribution, we offer an overview of the current knowledge on the fossil horses in Mexico. The Mexican record of the family Equidae includes early horses and representatives of the subfamilies Anchitheriinae and Equinae. The diversity of horses in Mexico includes 15 genera and 28 species with ages ranging from early Eocene to late Pleistocene. The record of the subfamily Equinae from the upper Neogene and Quaternary deposits from central Mexico represents the largest proportion of fossil horse evidence in the country. Of the species observed within the Mexican territory, 75 % were at their southernmost extent in North America. The Mexican record shows that a considerable portion of the evolutionary history of horses occurred in Mexico. Nevertheless, the study of fossil horses in Mexico is ongoing. Therefore, including the Mexican specimens in studies using biogeographical, evolutionary and ecological approaches will considerably improve our knowledge of horses in southern North America.
ISSN:1867-1594
1867-1608
DOI:10.1007/s12549-015-0223-y