What is the only truly wild horse left in the world?
The Przewalski’s horse is the only truly wild horse existing today. They are dwelling in Mongolia. Any other horses roaming free are actually feral horses, e.g. mustangs.
Mustangs originally descended from horses brought to America from Spain. Because today's mustangs descended from domesticated horses, they are described as feral. These feral horses are untamed members of the domestic horse subspecies, and should not be confused with the two truly "wild" horse subspecies (Tarpan and the Przewalski's horse) that extended into modern time. But the Tarpan went extinct in the 19th century, so the Przewalski's horse became the only true wild horse in the world.
More Info:
en.wikipedia.org
What are your thoughts on this subject?
68 Comments
Rob Blomquist
If a subspecies has returned to an untamed state for centuries and it has lost its domestication - the term wild is appropriate. Feral is usually reserved for individual animals or groups of animals breeding and ranging free after release or escape more recently. Mustangs are as wild and free as I have observed if the are out there on open range.
William Laughlin
They may be wild again, but the difference is in their genetic make up because of man's interference in the selective breeding of their ancestors.
Bill Coe
William Laughlin Przewalski's horse has never been domesticated and remains the only true wild horse in the world today. Przewalski's horse is one of three known subspecies of Equus ferus, the others being the domesticated horse Equus ferus caballus, and the extinct tarpan Equus ferus ferus.
William Laughlin
Bill Coe
We agree. My comment was directed to Rob Blomquist who was claiming wild status for mustangs. I maintain their being unscientifically called wild is actually their simply being feral and not technically wild because of the selective breeding by man, which will forever be part of their genetic makeup.
DannyBoy
I didn't know that, interesting fact?
Player
It is now thought they may be feral as opposed to truly wild. I don't know if there is a definitive decision on this though.
davey b
Kaimanawa Horses in NZ are also wild....there are so many that if not taken by people they will be culled.
Chris Brown
I hadn't heard of this breed, so was totally uncertai. I therefor felt I had to find out more so looked it up and found this interesting link with video: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/p/przewalskis-horse/
Tony Daniel
Ever heard of the Namibian desert horses.... untamable.... please do your research....
papacorndog
williamrlaughlin, if ya think about it, man has an interference with the breeding and lifestyles of most wild mammals, especially land mammals.
plccbell
Is a zebra not a wild horse?
Ed Taber
williamrlaughlin, Actually the mustang should be classified as "an invasive species" as the Native Americans ate all the original horses in North America 15,000 years ago.
Gayle Rutledge Arnold
feral is another word for wild. plain and simple.
Jon Woolery
williamrlaughlin: All that interference esssntially was a rescue operation. Better than man-caused extinction, and it’s just a matter of time before what’s there now becomes a truly wild species again.
Dossie M Terrell
50/50 choic gave me an edge. I knew it was not the Mustang.
Wendy Withers
The Brumby still runs wild in Australia
Lorna Shipton
I remember watching a documentary about these wild horses many years ago, so somewhere in the depths of my brain the memory must have lodged
James Henslee
I think this question is about schematics. While I have never heard of the Przewalski horse, we in the United States consider the Free Roaming Mustangs Wild. After multiple Generations, They are as wild as they were Thousands of years ago.
To my understanding, only the Zebra is Truly "Wild".
EG. Cannot be tamed as a Species. Although, a few Has Been Tamed.
JS🙂
Weaver Cynthia
Should have known this.
Alain Fougerit
Discovered in Mongolia in 1879, this horse that we thought of savage (never domesticated by the man) was domesticated in reality about 5000 years ago, before returning to the wild.