Band 6+: The diagrams below show the development of the horse over a period of 40 million years. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The diagram demonstrates the prehistoric and modern forefoot evolution of the horse throughout 40 million years.

Overall, it is clearly seen that as horses grew larger, their feet gradually widened and lengthened in size, which eventually led to the formation of present horses’ hoof.

For the first known horses called Eohippus, 40 million years ago they walked on Earth with four feet phalanges. In addition, they had no mane and they were smaller than other three evolutionary types of horse. As for modern horses’ they are greater in mass and their feet toes are stuck together, which developed into one hoof.

Interestingly, between Eohippus and Present horse, 30 million years ago there were Mesohippus which had one toe difference with Eohippus. Mesohippus had three toes which were shaped as an ordinary chicken feet. After 15 million years evolution introduced almost formed horse called Merychippus. And it also had three toes as Messohippus, but the middle toe appeared more to eventually become a hoof of present horse.