Merychippus sp. - Early Horse Mandible Fragment

3D Model

Merychippus sp.

Collected from Pamunkey River, Virginia

A cast of a Merychippus sp. jaw frament collected by Mark Bennett. Specimen is from the Calvert formation, either the upper Fairhaven or lower Plum Point member (Shatlock Zones 3B-9). The Calvert formation is Miocene in age, approximately 18 - 15 million years old.

Merychippus is an early horse that had a very similar body plan to modern horses, specifically in the skull, however had the primitive characteristic of multiple toes. Merychippus had three toes compared to the one per foot in modern horses. The teeth in Merychippus are modified for grazing on grasses.