Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli

Eurygnathohippus woldegabrieli is an extinct species of prehistoric horse known from fossil teeth and bones found in Ethiopia in 2001 and 2002, which are between 4.4 and 4.2 million years old. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University identified it as a new species in 2013 and named it for the geologist and university alumnus Giday WoldeGabriel. It was about the size of a small zebra and had three-toed hooves. Tooth wear patterns and the chemistry of its bones show that it grazed on coarse C4 grasses like the diet of modern zebras and wildebeests. Compared with its forest dwelling ancestors of six to ten million years ago, such as Eurygnathohippus feibeli, its teeth were taller and more worn, and its longer and thinner leg bones suggest it was well adapted for running. The later Pliocene species Eurygnathohippus hasumense, from about 3.5 million years ago, is taller with a longer nose, a further step toward life in open grasslands.