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gemfyre*wonders how many people know what she's rabbiting on about*
In Laetoli in Africa footrprints have been discovered, probably left by Australopithecus afarensis (i.e. an early homonid). There are prints of a large individual and a small individual that are easily seen, and faint outlines of a medium individual that was walking in the footprints of the large guy. Possibly a male, female and child??
Anyways, near those footprints, at an angle to them are another set of prints. Left by a hipparion. What is a hipparion you ask?? A hipparion is one of the earliest horse species. About the size of a medium sized dog.
Pretty neat I reckon, I actually thought hipparion existed before humans, but it would seem not. Shit, imagine wandering in this volcanic ash a couple million years ago and seeing this little dog like horse trot by. Not knowing that in a million or so years hence they will get about 5 times that size and be a common mode of transport. Neat. *smiles*
In Laetoli in Africa footrprints have been discovered, probably left by Australopithecus afarensis (i.e. an early homonid). There are prints of a large individual and a small individual that are easily seen, and faint outlines of a medium individual that was walking in the footprints of the large guy. Possibly a male, female and child??
Anyways, near those footprints, at an angle to them are another set of prints. Left by a hipparion. What is a hipparion you ask?? A hipparion is one of the earliest horse species. About the size of a medium sized dog.
Pretty neat I reckon, I actually thought hipparion existed before humans, but it would seem not. Shit, imagine wandering in this volcanic ash a couple million years ago and seeing this little dog like horse trot by. Not knowing that in a million or so years hence they will get about 5 times that size and be a common mode of transport. Neat. *smiles*
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no subject
Date: 2003-02-25 03:55 pm (UTC)And here it is:
There is a connection between the similiar sounding 'hipparion' and 'Hippopotamus '.
Hippopotamus means 'river horse'.
THING WORTHY OF MENTION NUMBER ONE
Most of the references to the hipparion reffered to it as the 'hipparion horse', rather than just as 'the hipparion'
THING WORTHY OF MENTION NUMBER TWO
There is a M:TG card with a totally innacurate picture of a hipparion on it.
http://www.findmagiccards.com/Cards/IA/Hipparion.html