... one of the largest species today. The equids diet began to change from foliage to grasses when grasses first began to flourish, causing the equids to have larger and more durable teeth. Equids also became further under threat from predators as new species evolved, leading them to be capable of greater speeds. Equids adapted by lengthening their limbs and shifting the weight of the body to the third toe, the longest of the toes. The Hyracotherium, also known as the Eohippus, originally developed around 55 million years ago; 10 million years after the dinosaurs became extinct (Wikipedia, 2007). Fossil records show that the Hyracotherium was around the size of a fox, around 25 to 50 cm in height, and lived in North America. They had a short head and neck, with an arched back. They had 44 low-crowned teeth in an arrangement typical of an omnivorous mammal (Critters-2-Go, 2007). Their molars ...

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