Hippidion

Where & When? These huge extinct browsing horses lived in South America during the Ice Age, between 2 million and 10,000 years ago.

Hose Nose? Who Knows?

The Clydesdale-sized Hippidion possessed a highly distinctive, long, domed nasal bone. Because of this unusual feature, some scientists speculate that Hippidion had an elongated, flexible snout.

Look at the skull and the two different reconstructions below. What do you think?

The animals depicted here, two adults and one juvenile (in foreground) represent Hippidion. This reconstruction is based on research on horse fossils from around the city of Tarija, in southern Bolivia.

Click on the image for a larger view.