The last known surviving Hippotherium was H. malpassii, found in Italy.[1]
Species
Jaw and teethMetapodialSkullSkeleton of H. primigenius
The type species, H. primigenium, is known from Miocene deposits in Europe (e.g., the Hegau region in southern Germany)[2] and the Middle East, while the species H. koenigswaldi and H. catalaunicum have been found in Miocene deposits in Spain.[citation needed] The Asian hipparionin "Hipparion" weihoense from early Late Miocene deposits in northern China has also been referred to the genus.[3][4]
Diet
H. primigenium was a generalist feeder which frequently browsed but could also exploit grasses.[5] 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.[6]
Fossil distribution
Doue-la-Fontaine France estimated age: ~13.65—7.25 Mya.
^Bernor, Raymond L.; Tobien, Heinz; Hayek, Lee-Ann C.; Mittmann, Hans-Walter (1997). "Hippotherium primigenium (Equidae, Mammalia) from the late Miocene of Höwenegg (Hegau, Germany)". Andrias. 10: 1–230.
^Bernor, Raymond L.; Wang, Shiqi; Liu, Yan; Chen, Yu; Sun, Boyang (2018). "Shanxihippus dermatorhinus comb. nov. with comparisons to old world hipparions with specialized nasal apparati". Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia. 124 (2): 361–386. doi:10.13130/2039-4942/10202.
^ Armin Scherzinger, Johanne Baier, Günter Schweigert, & Roland Berka (2024): Zur Entstehung der Höwenegg-Vulkangruppe und der Höwenegg-Schichten im Hegau. Jh. Ges. Naturkde. Württemberg. 180: 501–528.