AnimalTracks.wiki

What the sources say

Przewalski's HorseEquus ferus przewalskii

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Przewalski's Horse profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 44 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Przewalski's horse. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

The page saysThe wild horse with 66 chromosomes, gone from the wild and then put back.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have.Note: tagline; extinct and reintroduced below
The page saysgone from the wild
The source sayseventually becoming extinct in the wildNote: tagline
The page saysput back
The source saysToday they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.Note: tagline
The page saysSteppe grassland, with reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
The source saysToday they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysGrass and leaves from shrubby trees.
The source saysIn the wild, Przewalski's horses graze on grass and leaves from shrubby trees.Note: stats.diet
The page saysBreeds with domestic horses and gets fertile young, despite 66 chromosomes against their 64.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have. ... they can produce fertile hybrids with the domestic horse (65 chromosomes) that are able to breed and produce offspringNote: stats.superpower
The page saysthe species it belongs to
The source saysGenus and Species: Equus ferus przewalskiiNote: the page files przewalskii under species ferus
The page sayshas 66 chromosomes
The source saysPrzewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have.
The page saysA domestic horse has 64.
The source sayscompared to the 64 that domestic horses have
The page saysUnusually, the two can still cross: the hybrids have 65 chromosomes, are fertile and have young of their own
The source saysIt is unusual in that they can produce fertile hybrids with the domestic horse (65 chromosomes) that are able to breed and produce offspring
The page saysA hybrid looks like a Przewalski's horse, and a chromosome test is the only way to tell.
The source saysThe hybrids look like Przewalski's horses, and the only way to identify them is through chromosome testing.
The page saysA dark stripe runs from the mane down the spine.
The source saysA dark stripe continues from the mane along the backbone to a dark, plumed tail.
The page saysAdults 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.
The source says4.3 to 5 feet (1.3 to 1.5 meters) tall at the withers, 7.25 to 8.5 feet (2.2 to 2.6 meters) long and weigh 550 to 800 pounds (250 to 360 kilograms)
The page saysOne may live up to 36 years.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses may live up to 36 years of age.
The page saysPrzewalski's horses are called "takhi," which means "spirit" in Mongolia.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses are called "takhi," which means "spirit" in Mongolia.
The page saysThese horses once ranged across Europe and Asia.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses once ranged throughout Europe and Asia.
The page saysThe last wild sightings came in the 1960s, from Mongolia's Gobi Desert, which covers about the southern third of the country
The source saysPrzewalski's horses were last seen in the wild during the 1960s in the Gobi Desert, which accounts for roughly the southern third of Mongolia.
The page saysPoaching, capture and military activity cut their numbers.
The source saysThe number of Przewalski's horses dwindled due to human interference, including cultural and political changes, as well as military presence, poaching and capture.
The page saysEvery Przewalski's horse alive today descends from 14 founders caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960
The source saysall are descended from 14 founders that were caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960
The page saysby 1945 the world held fewer than 20 that could breed
The source saysIn 1945, there were once again less than 20 breeding Przewalski's horses in the world.
The page saysWild herds now live only at release sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.
The source saysToday they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan.
The page saysYes. Their chromosome counts differ, 66 against 64, yet a cross gives hybrids with 65 chromosomes that can breed and have young themselves.
The source saysPrzewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have. ... they can produce fertile hybrids with the domestic horse (65 chromosomes) that are able to breed and produce offspringNote: FAQ
The page saysSixty-Six Chromosomes
The source saysPrzewalski's horses have 66 chromosomesNote: heading
The page saysZoos kept the line going.
The source saysThrough breeding programs, Zoos have been instrumental in preventing the Przewalski's horse from dying out altogether.

Source
02

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Przewalski's Horse. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysSteppe grassland
The source saysPrzewalski's horses are native to a habitat called the steppe.Note: stats.habitat
The page saysstocky, short, pot-bellied horse
The source saysPrzewalski's horses are stocky, short, and pot-bellied in comparison with other horses, with a spiky mane like a zebra
The page saysno forelock, the lock of hair on a domestic horse's forehead
The source saysUnlike their domestic cousins, though, they don't have a lock of hair on their forehead, called a forelock.
The page saysIn 1992, 16 horses went back to Mongolia.
The source saysIn 1992, 16 horses were reintroduced into their native habitat in Mongolia
The page saysBy 2014 there were nearly 2,000 of them worldwide, and 178 lived in the wild.
The source saysas of 2014, the world's population of Przewalski's horses had reached nearly 2,000, with 178 of them living in the wild
The page saysThe steppe is a huge, sparse grassland
The source saysthis immense and hardscrabble, sparse grassland habitat
The page saysIf they need water, they dig for it with their sharp hooves.
The source saysTheir sharp hooves are used to dig holes in the ground, if needed, to find water.
The page saysWinter coats grow thick, with long beards and neck hair
The source saysPrzewalski's horses grow thick, warm coats for the winter, complete with long beards and neck hair.
The page sayswhen a gale blows, a horse faces away from the storm and clamps its tail between its hind legs
The source saysIn high winds, Przewalski's horses turn their back to the storm and tuck their tail tightly between their back legs.
The page saysA harem rarely holds more than 10 mares and their young, and one dominant stallion leads it.
The source saysHarems rarely have more than 10 mares (adult females) and their offspring of up to 2 or 3 years of age, and are led by one dominant stallion.
The page saysStallions old enough to challenge him are driven out to small bachelor groups
The source saysWhen stallions are old enough to compete with the lead stallion, they are driven out of the harem and join small bachelor groups
The page saysa bachelor may cover more than 22 km in a day
The source saysBachelor stallions (adult males) cover the most ground, sometimes more than 13 miles (22 kilometers) a day
The page saysWithin about half an hour of birth, a foal has to be on its feet and travelling with the herd
The source saysthey must be up and moving with the herd about 30 minutes after birth
The page saysWolves are a foal's greatest natural enemy.
The source saysWolves are the Przewalski's horse foal’s greatest natural enemy.
The page saysYes. Sixteen were released in Mongolia in 1992, and more have followed. Of the nearly 2,000 alive in 2014, 178 were living wild.
The source saysIn 1992, 16 horses were reintroduced into their native habitat in Mongolia ... as of 2014, the world's population of Przewalski's horses had reached nearly 2,000, with 178 of them living in the wild. New horses continue to be introduced to the populationNote: FAQ; 2014 count above
The page saysA mare that leaves the herd to give birth has no help guarding her foal, and that often invites a wolf attack.
The source saysSome mares leave the protection of the herd to give birth, and this often invites a wolf attack, as the mother does not have the help she needs to protect her foalNote: FAQ
The page saysMares form a defensive circle around the foals, while the stallion trots around its edge and charges.
The source saysmares form a defensive circle around their young, and the stallion trots around the circle and charges
The page saysAgainst wolves, Przewalski's mares form a defensive circle around their young while the stallion trots around the ring
The source saysWolves are the Przewalski's horse foal’s greatest natural enemy. To protect their little ones, mares form a defensive circle around their young, and the stallion trots around the circle and chargesNote: vibe.reason

Source
03

King et al. 2015

King et al. (2015). Equus ferus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41763A97204950.

The page saysEndangered
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN).Note: GBIF copy of the Red List for Equus ferus, taxon 41763
The page saysThe IUCN Red List rates Equus ferus, the species it belongs to, as Endangered.
The source saysEquus ferus Boddaert, 1785, IUCN taxon 41763.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.