Equus giganteus, more or less "Giant Horse", was quite possibly the largest species of horse to ever live. Living in North America during the Pleistocene epoch about 12000 years ago, Equus giganteus stood 6 feet and 6 inches tall at the shoulder (a little over 19 hands tall for you horse girls and boys out there), and weighed around 3300 pounds. It was as physically large as draft breeds like Percherons and Shires but had the agility of a smaller horse. It has a proportionally larger head than modern horses with teeth to match which could deliver some seriously damaging bites to predators. It also had a thicker coat than modern horses, which is more in line with a Przewalski's horse. Like their cousins, it was a nomadic plain's dweller, traveling over the plains as it ate the local grasses.
Comments