--- title: "Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "The wild horse with 66 chromosomes, gone from the wild and then put back." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/przewalskis-horse-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Przewalski's Horse (*Equus ferus przewalskii*) > **Status**: Checked against 3 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: The wild horse with 66 chromosomes, gone from the wild and then put back. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Neo-Classical & Baroque Chamber // Caroline Shaw, "Partita for 8 Voices: Passacaglia" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/21DYZaHsCeAp6DA1f1oXt9) > **Vibe Match**: Against wolves, Przewalski's mares form a defensive circle around their young while the stallion trots around the ring. Caroline Shaw's Passacaglia circles too, eight voices moving over one chord sequence that keeps coming round. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Equus ferus przewalskii* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Endangered ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-2.rlts.t41763a45172856.en)) - **Superpower**: Breeds with domestic horses and gets fertile young, despite 66 chromosomes against their 64. - **Habitat**: Steppe grassland, with reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. - **Diet**: Grass and leaves from shrubby trees. - **Tags**: mammal, hoofed, ungulate, herbivore, grassland, endangered ## Natural History & Behavior ## Sixty-Six Chromosomes **Przewalski's horse** (*Equus ferus przewalskii*) has 66 chromosomes, the bundles that carry an animal's DNA. A domestic horse has 64. Unusually, the two can still cross: the hybrids have 65 chromosomes, are fertile and have young of their own. A hybrid looks like a Przewalski's horse, and a chromosome test is the only way to tell. It is a stocky, short, pot-bellied horse with a spiky, zebra-like mane and no forelock, the lock of hair on a domestic horse's forehead. A dark stripe runs from the mane down the spine. Adults stand 1.3 to 1.5 m tall at the withers (the ridge above the shoulders), run 2.2 to 2.6 m long, and weigh 250 to 360 kg. One may live up to 36 years. > **Spirit horse** > Przewalski's horses are called "takhi," which means "spirit" in Mongolia. ## Gone From the Wild, Then Put Back These horses once ranged across Europe and Asia. The last wild sightings came in the 1960s, from Mongolia's Gobi Desert, which covers about the southern third of the country. Poaching, capture and military activity cut their numbers. Every Przewalski's horse alive today descends from 14 founders caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960, and by 1945 the world held fewer than 20 that could breed. Zoos kept the line going. In 1992, 16 horses went back to Mongolia. By 2014 there were nearly 2,000 of them worldwide, and 178 lived in the wild. Wild herds now live only at release sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. The IUCN Red List rates *Equus ferus*, the species it belongs to, as Endangered. ## Life on the Steppe The steppe is a huge, sparse grassland, and Przewalski's horses graze it on grass and leaves from shrubby trees. If they need water, they dig for it with their sharp hooves. Winter coats grow thick, with long beards and neck hair, and when a gale blows, a horse faces away from the storm and clamps its tail between its hind legs. A harem rarely holds more than 10 mares and their young, and one dominant stallion leads it. Stallions old enough to challenge him are driven out to small bachelor groups, and a bachelor may cover more than 22 km in a day. Within about half an hour of birth, a foal has to be on its feet and travelling with the herd. Wolves are a foal's greatest natural enemy. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Can a Przewalski's horse breed with a domestic horse? Yes. Their chromosome counts differ, 66 against 64, yet a cross gives hybrids with 65 chromosomes that can breed and have young themselves. *(Source: [Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute]())* ### Are there any Przewalski's horses living wild today? Yes. Sixteen were released in Mongolia in 1992, and more have followed. Of the nearly 2,000 alive in 2014, 178 were living wild. *(Source: [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance]())* ### How do Przewalski's horses protect foals from wolves? Mares form a defensive circle around the foals, while the stallion trots around its edge and charges. A mare that leaves the herd to give birth has no help guarding her foal, and that often invites a wolf attack. *(Source: [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance]())* ## Sources 1. [Przewalski's horse. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.]() 2. [Przewalski's Horse. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.]() 3. [King et al. (2015). Equus ferus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41763A97204950.]() *Published October 11, 2026. Last updated October 11, 2026.* ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/przewalskis-horse/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website" }, "headline": "Przewalski's Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) | AnimalTracks.wiki", "description": "The wild horse with 66 chromosomes, gone from the wild and then put back.", "image": [ "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/przewalskis-horse-1.webp" ], "datePublished": "2026-10-11", "dateModified": "2026-10-11", "author": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/przewalskis-horse/", "citation": [ { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Przewalski's horse", "url": "https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/przewalskis-horse", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute" } }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Przewalski's Horse", "url": "https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/przewalskis-horse", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance" } }, { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Equus ferus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41763A97204950", "url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-2.rlts.t41763a45172856.en", "author": "King et al.", "datePublished": "2015", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" }, "identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-2.rlts.t41763a45172856.en" } ], "about": { "@type": "Taxon", "name": "Przewalski's Horse", "scientificName": "Equus ferus przewalskii", "description": "Breeds with domestic horses and gets fertile young, despite 66 chromosomes against their 64." } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/przewalskis-horse/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can a Przewalski's horse breed with a domestic horse?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Their chromosome counts differ, 66 against 64, yet a cross gives hybrids with 65 chromosomes that can breed and have young themselves.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Przewalski's horse", "url": "https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/przewalskis-horse", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Are there any Przewalski's horses living wild today?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Sixteen were released in Mongolia in 1992, and more have followed. Of the nearly 2,000 alive in 2014, 178 were living wild.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Przewalski's Horse", "url": "https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/przewalskis-horse", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do Przewalski's horses protect foals from wolves?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Mares form a defensive circle around the foals, while the stallion trots around its edge and charges. A mare that leaves the herd to give birth has no help guarding her foal, and that often invites a wolf attack.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Przewalski's Horse", "url": "https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/przewalskis-horse", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "MusicRecording", "name": "Partita for 8 Voices: Passacaglia", "byArtist": { "@type": "MusicGroup", "name": "Caroline Shaw" }, "genre": "Neo-Classical & Baroque Chamber", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/21DYZaHsCeAp6DA1f1oXt9" } ] } ```