The evolution of a single toe in horses: causes, consequences, and the way forward

BK McHorse, AA Biewener… - … and Comparative Biology, 2019‏ - academic.oup.com
Horses are a classic example of macroevolution in three major traits—large body size, tall-
crowned teeth (hypsodonty), and a single toe (monodactyly)—but how and why monodactyly …

Hipparion tracks and horses' toes: the evolution of the equid single hoof

AR Vincelette, E Renders, KM Scott… - Royal Society …, 2023‏ - royalsocietypublishing.org
The traditional story of the evolution of the horse (family Equidae) has been in large part
about the evolution of their feet. How did modern horses come to have a single toe (digit III) …

Comparative study of the body proportions in Elephantidae and other large herbivorous mammals

RI Belyaev, GG Boeskorov, AN Kuznetsov… - Journal of …, 2025‏ - Wiley Online Library
In this study, we aimed to achieve three objectives:(1) to precisely characterize the body
plans of Elephantidae and other large herbivorous mammals;(2) based on this analysis, to …

The Miocene browsing horses: another way to be a successful large equid

CM Janis, E Franklin, CN Baird, J Tyler - The Equids: A Suite of Splendid …, 2023‏ - Springer
Horse evolution is popularly known and portrayed as an “Eohippus to Equus” sequence,
with the modern horse as the pinnacle of the sequence. This portrayal not only ignores the …

Looking back over the shoulder: New insights on the unique scapular anatomy of the tapir (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae)

JA MacLaren - The Anatomical Record, 2024‏ - Wiley Online Library
The musculoskeletal anatomy of the shoulder of many ungulates has been inferred from
veterinary model taxa, with uniformity in muscle arrangements and attachment sites often …

Biogeography a key influence on distal forelimb variation in horses through the Cenozoic

JA MacLaren - Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2021‏ - royalsocietypublishing.org
Locomotion in terrestrial tetrapods is reliant on interactions between distal limb bones (eg
metapodials and phalanges). The metapodial–phalangeal joint in horse (Equidae) limbs is …

The Fossil Record of Tapirs

JA MacLaren, LT Holbrook - Tapirs of the World, 2024‏ - Springer
Tapirs have a fossil record stretching back to the early Eocene epoch (c. 50 million years).
Throughout their evolutionary history, tapirs (and their closest kin) occupied restricted niches …

Macroevolution and Biomechanics of Digit Reduction in Horses

BK McHorse - 2019‏ - search.proquest.com
Horses (family Equidae) are a charismatic group of animals and have captured human
imagination for thousands of years. The swiftness and size of horses have made them …

Morphology of the tapir forelimb: anatomy, function and implications for perissodactyl locomotor evolution

JA MacLaren - 2019‏ - repository.uantwerpen.be
The shape of the mammalian forelimb is inexorably tied to the functional demands of the
species in question. The versatility of this morphological unit has enabled mammals to meet …