---
title: "What the sources say about the Przewalski's Horse | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Przewalski's Horse profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Przewalski's Horse (*Equus ferus przewalskii*)

> 44 claims from the Przewalski's Horse profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Przewalski's Horse](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/przewalskis-horse/)

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

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/przewalskis-horse

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The wild horse with 66 chromosomes, gone from the wild and then put back. | Przewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have. (note: tagline; extinct and reintroduced below) |
| gone from the wild | eventually becoming extinct in the wild (note: tagline) |
| put back | Today they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. (note: tagline) |
| Steppe grassland, with reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. | Today they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Grass and leaves from shrubby trees. | In the wild, Przewalski's horses graze on grass and leaves from shrubby trees. (note: stats.diet) |
| Breeds with domestic horses and gets fertile young, despite 66 chromosomes against their 64. | Przewalski'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 offspring (note: stats.superpower) |
| the species it belongs to | Genus and Species: Equus ferus przewalskii (note: the page files przewalskii under species ferus) |
| has 66 chromosomes | Przewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes, compared to the 64 that domestic horses have. |
| A domestic horse has 64. | compared to the 64 that domestic horses have |
| Unusually, the two can still cross: the hybrids have 65 chromosomes, are fertile and have young of their own | It is unusual in that they can produce fertile hybrids with the domestic horse (65 chromosomes) that are able to breed and produce offspring |
| A hybrid looks like a Przewalski's horse, and a chromosome test is the only way to tell. | The hybrids look like Przewalski's horses, and the only way to identify them is through chromosome testing. |
| A dark stripe runs from the mane down the spine. | A dark stripe continues from the mane along the backbone to a dark, plumed tail. |
| 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. | 4.3 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) |
| One may live up to 36 years. | Przewalski's horses may live up to 36 years of age. |
| Przewalski's horses are called "takhi," which means "spirit" in Mongolia. | Przewalski's horses are called "takhi," which means "spirit" in Mongolia. |
| These horses once ranged across Europe and Asia. | Przewalski's horses once ranged throughout 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 | Przewalski's horses were last seen in the wild during the 1960s in the Gobi Desert, which accounts for roughly the southern third of Mongolia. |
| Poaching, capture and military activity cut their numbers. | The number of Przewalski's horses dwindled due to human interference, including cultural and political changes, as well as military presence, poaching and capture. |
| Every Przewalski's horse alive today descends from 14 founders caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960 | all are descended from 14 founders that were caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960 |
| by 1945 the world held fewer than 20 that could breed | In 1945, there were once again less than 20 breeding Przewalski's horses in the world. |
| Wild herds now live only at release sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. | Today they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. |
| Yes. Their chromosome counts differ, 66 against 64, yet a cross gives hybrids with 65 chromosomes that can breed and have young themselves. | Przewalski'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 offspring (note: FAQ) |
| Sixty-Six Chromosomes | Przewalski's horses have 66 chromosomes (note: heading) |
| Zoos kept the line going. | Through breeding programs, Zoos have been instrumental in preventing the Przewalski's horse from dying out altogether. |

## Przewalski's Horse. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/przewalskis-horse

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Steppe grassland | Przewalski's horses are native to a habitat called the steppe. (note: stats.habitat) |
| stocky, short, pot-bellied horse | Przewalski's horses are stocky, short, and pot-bellied in comparison with other horses, with a spiky mane like a zebra |
| no forelock, the lock of hair on a domestic horse's forehead | Unlike their domestic cousins, though, they don't have a lock of hair on their forehead, called a forelock. |
| In 1992, 16 horses went back to Mongolia. | In 1992, 16 horses were reintroduced into their native habitat in Mongolia |
| By 2014 there were nearly 2,000 of them worldwide, and 178 lived in the wild. | as of 2014, the world's population of Przewalski's horses had reached nearly 2,000, with 178 of them living in the wild |
| The steppe is a huge, sparse grassland | this immense and hardscrabble, sparse grassland habitat |
| If they need water, they dig for it with their sharp hooves. | Their sharp hooves are used to dig holes in the ground, if needed, to find water. |
| Winter coats grow thick, with long beards and neck hair | Przewalski's horses grow thick, warm coats for the winter, complete with long beards and neck hair. |
| when a gale blows, a horse faces away from the storm and clamps its tail between its hind legs | In high winds, Przewalski's horses turn their back to the storm and tuck their tail tightly between their back legs. |
| A harem rarely holds more than 10 mares and their young, and one dominant stallion leads it. | Harems 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. |
| Stallions old enough to challenge him are driven out to small bachelor groups | When stallions are old enough to compete with the lead stallion, they are driven out of the harem and join small bachelor groups |
| a bachelor may cover more than 22 km in a day | Bachelor stallions (adult males) cover the most ground, sometimes more than 13 miles (22 kilometers) a day |
| Within about half an hour of birth, a foal has to be on its feet and travelling with the herd | they must be up and moving with the herd about 30 minutes after birth |
| Wolves are a foal's greatest natural enemy. | Wolves are the Przewalski's horse foal’s greatest natural enemy. |
| Yes. Sixteen were released in Mongolia in 1992, and more have followed. Of the nearly 2,000 alive in 2014, 178 were living wild. | In 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 population (note: FAQ; 2014 count above) |
| A mare that leaves the herd to give birth has no help guarding her foal, and that often invites a wolf attack. | Some 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 foal (note: FAQ) |
| Mares form a defensive circle around the foals, while the stallion trots around its edge and charges. | mares form a defensive circle around their young, and the stallion trots around the circle and charges |
| Against wolves, Przewalski's mares form a defensive circle around their young while the stallion trots around the ring | Wolves 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 charges (note: vibe.reason) |

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

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-2.rlts.t41763a45172856.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Endangered | IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). (note: GBIF copy of the Red List for Equus ferus, taxon 41763) |
| The IUCN Red List rates Equus ferus, the species it belongs to, as Endangered. | Equus ferus Boddaert, 1785, IUCN taxon 41763. |