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Habits and Adaptations: Size of the herd can range from
6 to 16 animals (a stallion, several adult mares, 2 year old horses,
a few yearlings and the current year's foals). The stallion is
the group's leader and protector. When danger threatens, the mares
and young animals line up with a young stallion at their head
and a mature stallion guarding the rear. Generally travel in single
file. Communications between horses is visual, auditory and olfactory.
Examples include ear positions, neighing and "flehmen"
During "flehmen" one horse sniffs another's urine, then
raises its head and draws back its lips while wrinkling the nostrils.
In the spring, when winter coats begin to shed, horses will help
the process by grooming one another with their teeth as they stand
side by side and head to tail.
Diet: In the wild, they eat coarse, shrubby vegetation
and tall grasses. In captivity, the basic element is hay. Mixed
grains are often added, as well as vitamin and mineral supplements
when necessary.
Breeding and Maturation: Mares are sexually mature between
3 and 5 years of age, stallions a year or so later. Gestation
is about 11 months and most foals are born with fuzzy mane and
weigh 25-27 kg (55-60 lbs). Generally, foals stay with their mother
for 2 years.
Miscellaneous:The existence of these horses was first
reported to the western world in the late 1800's by Nicolai Przewalski,
a Russian explorer. Later, he was presented with a hide and skull
of a wild horse by native hunters. That hide and skull are still
on display in a museum in Leningrad.
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