Hippotherium

Hippotherium is an extinct genus of horse that lived during the Miocene through Pliocene ~13.65—6.7 Mya, existing for.
The last known surviving Hippotherium was H. malpassii, found in Italy.

Species

The type species, H. primigenium, is known from Miocene deposits in Europe and the Middle East, while the species H. koenigswaldi and H. catalaunicum have been found in Miocene deposits in Spain. The Asian hipparionin "Hipparion" weihoense from early Late Miocene deposits in northern China has also been referred to the genus.

Diet

H. primigenium was a generalist feeder which frequently browsed but could also exploit grasses. The dental mesowear of H. primigenium reveals that it lived in both open environments such as reed flats and closed environments such as mesophytic forests. In the arid Pannonian Basin System, Hippotherium is known to have migrated to make use of water sources with a high elevation origin, particularly from the nearby Vienna Basin.

Fossil distribution

Doue-la-Fontaine France estimated age: ~13.65—7.25 Mya.
Lower Bakhtiari Formation, northern Iraq, estimated age: ~11.6—9.0 Mya.
Kurtchuk-Tchekmedje, Turkey estimated age: ~11.61—5.33 Mya.