The Equus Scotti (or Scott’s Horse) was native to North America and went extinct during the last Ice Age. They lived during the Pleistocene.
The Granddaddy
Interestingly enough, horses actually come from North America – although all of the domestic North American breeds are not native to their continent. Equus Scotti was though to be one of the last horse species native to the Americas. They were believed to have traveled across the Bering Land Bridge to Asia and continued to develop independently and spread.
Sadly, the last Ice Age was the end for Equus Scotti on North America. In fact, it meant the end for all equine species native to the Americas.
A Big Family
It turns out that there were several species of equines native to the Americas during the Pleisocene. Slightly different due to geographical location, they were all fairly similar to the domestic horse of today. These primitive traits are still displayed today by Przewalski’s Horse, the last truly wild member of the horse family.
Not An Exact Science
Sadly we didn’t have scientists millions of years ago, so trying to piece together the history of horses is tricky business. There is a considerable amount of controversy when it comes to the taxonomy & lineage of extinct equidae. Be sure to meet some of the others like Mesohippus, Orohippus, Eohippus and Hipparion.