this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 193 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Their genetics have sacrificed nearly every aspect of basic resiliency for maximum speed on the plains. Most of the work caring for horses is keeping them from accidentally killing themselves. Full disclosure: I worked as a stable hand as a child in exchange for riding lessons. Will never ever own a horse.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 5 days ago

Same for rabbits. The are basically as much lean muscle that can fit on the lighest possible skeleton.

If you pick up a rabbit wrong, they can snap their own back with the momentum from kicking their back legs.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 6 days ago (5 children)

What preditor was so fast horses had to evolve to that extent??

[–] [email protected] 79 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Big cat. You're aware of the cheetah? Just picture that but not in Africa

[–] [email protected] 38 points 6 days ago (4 children)

You know what really caught me up: where are horses native to?

[–] [email protected] 66 points 6 days ago (1 children)

There are wild horses on the Mongolian steppes.

All other horses are domesticated. Even the free horses in USA and Australia are descendants of domesticated horses.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

You're right! But also, horses were native to North America but they went extinct 10,000 years ago and weren't introduced until much more recently.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago

Don’t tell that to a Mormon

[–] [email protected] 20 points 6 days ago (1 children)

PBS Eons has a couple good videos on both horse evolution and domestication.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

It’s just a damn good series in general as well

[–] [email protected] 28 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Us. They basically tried to beat pursuit predation by outrunning the distance humans will be willing to track over.

It did not work, they went extinct in North America because of how much it did not work.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Large predatory flightless birds probably didn't help either.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 days ago

Ah, sweet home Caelid

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

"What are those? I know predatory and flightless birds, but both?"

I have looked it up before posting, I learned something new today.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

They are known as terror birds. Think of a ten foot tall ostrich with a flesh tearing beak like an eagle.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phorusrhacidae

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Human. Not for food, but because they always choose to breed on the Porcshe over the Toyota Hilux for racing.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

The wording here makes it sound like we hunted horses for the specific purpose of having sex on them, and honestly, I'd probably be running as fast as a car if that kept happening to me too!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Saber toothed tigers and shit

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

Saber toothed shit is a serious reason

[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago
[–] [email protected] 49 points 6 days ago (3 children)

I did this too and will also never own a horse lmao. This is why horse people are weird.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 days ago

Some people love caring for fragile things. Boosts their self-esteem. It can also break them when they fail.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 days ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 days ago

Same here haha

[–] [email protected] 31 points 5 days ago

Basically a 900LB Cocker Spaniel that's afraid of it's own farts and will eventually kill every single tree within reach. I also will never own horses.