322 EXTINCT AND VANISHING MAMMALS 



Order PERISSODACTYLA: Odd-toed Ungulates 



Family EQUIDAE: Horses, Zebras, and Asses 



Some conservative zoologists recognize but one genus in this 

 family, while granting subgeneric status to the Horses (Equus), 

 Zebras (Dolichohippus, Hippotigris) , and Asses (Asinus) . Others 

 raise these subgenera to generic rank, and Shortridge (1934, vol. 1, 

 p. 397) proposes an additional genus (Quagga) for the Quagga and 

 Burchell's Zebra. Dr. Allen maintains a conservative viewpoint and 

 employs the generic name Equus for all the Zebras (including the 

 Quagga), while I prefer to keep both the African and the Asiatic 

 Asses in a separate genus, Asinus. The single surviving species of 

 Wild Horse (Equus przewalskii) is now confined to Mongolia. The 

 nine forms of Zebras (two extinct) occupy eastern and southern 

 Africa. One extinct and two living forms of African Wild Asses 

 (Asinus atlanticus and A. africanus subspp.), with ranges in the 

 northern and eastern portions of that continent, are herein recog- 

 nized; also six forms of Asiatic Wild Asses (Asinus hemionus) , 

 ranging from Mongolia and Tibet to Syria. The generally pre- 

 carious status of the family is indicated by the fact that all but 

 one of the Asiatic forms and all but six of the African forms are 

 treated in the following pages. 



Przewalski's Horse; Mongolian Wild Horse; Mongolian Tarpan 



EQUUS PRZEWALSKII Poliakov 



Equus Przewalskii Poliakov, Izviestiia Imper. Russk. Geogr. Obshchestvo, 

 vol. 17, p. 1, 1881. (The type specimen was obtained by a "hunting- 

 expedition sent by M. Tihonof from the post Zaisan to the sand deserts 

 of Central Asia" (Poliakof, 1881, p. 19). Type locality restricted by 

 Harper (1940, p. 195) to the oasis of Gashim, eastern Dzungaria (approxi- 

 mately lat. 44 30' N., long. 90 E.).) 



SYNONYM: Equus hagenbecki Matschie (1903). 



Fios.: Poliakov, op. cit., pi. 1; Przewalski, 1883, pi. facing p. 40; Lydekker, 

 1901, p. 284, fig. 65; Salensky, 1902, pi. 1, pp. 12, 16, 17, figs. 2-4; Proc. 

 Zool. Soc. London 1902, vol. 1, pi. 13; Matschie, 1903, p. 582, fig.; 

 Ridgeway, 1905, p. 27, fig. 18, p. 29, fig. 19; Wrangel, 1908, vol. 1, p. 3, 

 fig. 1; Lydekker, 1916, vol. 5, p. 8, fig. 4; Peake, 1933, pi. 31, fig. a; 

 Pocock, 1937, p. 715, fig.; Reed and Lucas, 1937, p. 129, fig. 44; Schmidt, 

 1938, pi. 10. 



A very special interest attaches to this animal, as the only truly 

 wild horse surviving in the world today. There is a remarkable 

 dearth of first-hand information concerning it, especially during 

 the past quarter of a century or so. Only one of the numerous 

 scientific expeditions to Central Asia during recent years seems to 

 have come into contact with it. It is somewhat doubtful if the 

 alleged Mongolian Tarpans now exhibited in American zoos are 

 purebred animals. 



