PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE

Przewalski's also spelled Przhevalsky's, Prejevalsky's, or Preyevalsky's (subspecies Equus caballus przewalskii), last wild horse subspecies surviving in the 20th century. It was discovered in western Mongolia in the late 1870s by the Russian explorer N.M. Przhevalsky. Several expeditions since 1969 have failed to find this horse, which probably crossed with half-wild domesticated horses and lost its distinct features. Specimens have been kept and bred in zoos, and Mongolia in the late 20th century attempted to reintroduce them into the wild. The Przewalski's horse is yellowish or light red (sometimes called dun) in colour, with a dark mane and tail and, usually, a dorsal stripe. The mane is short and erect with no forelock. The low withers blend into a narrow back, and the croup is short and steep. About 12 to 14 hands (48 to 56 inches [122 to 142 cm]) tall, the Przewalski's horse resembles a coarse domestic pony.