Propalaeotherium was one of the earliest horses, and certainly one of the best known.

Meaning of scientific name
"ancestor to Palaeotherium" - "Palaeotherium" is another early horse - its name means "ancient beast".

Pronunciation of scientific name
pro-pay-lee-oh-THEE-ree-um

Statistics
Two species, one 30-35cm at the shoulder, the other 55-60cm

Physical description
These little forest animals are among the earliest horses known. Living in thick forest, they look rather like modern duikers, but have four small hooves on their front feet and three on the back, and walk on pads, like dogs and cats.

Distribution
More than 35 beautifully preserved specimens of the two species are known from the Messel shales, and they are also found at the nearby site of Geiseltal in Germany.

Habitat
Propalaeotherium lived on the forest floor in the great expanses of rainforest, which covered the land in the Eocene.

Diet
They are herbivorous and browsed leaves and fallen fruits.

Reproduction
Fossilised Propalaeotherium have been found carrying single foals.

Conservation status
Extinct.

History
Propalaeotherium lived 49-43 million years ago. They were forest-living animals descended from similar, small animals with several hooflets on each toe. Some later horses would specialise in fast-running plains-life and grass eating, and it is one of those which survives today as our only living horse genus, Equus.

Best place to see
Bolton Museum, Art Gallery & Aquarium; New Walk Museum; Swansea Museum; Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Closest relative
Propalaeotherium are most closely related to modern horses, and more distantly related to other odd-toed hoofed animals (perissodactyls): the tapirs and rhinos (and the extinct brontotheres and chalicotheres).