tarpan n : European wild horse extinct since the early 20th century [syn: Equus caballus gomelini]

English

Etymology

From the Russian тарпа́н, from Turkic (Kyrgyz or Kazakh) tarpan.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)pən

Noun

tarpan

1. An extinct Northern European wild horse.

For the truck manufacturer see Tarpan (car)

For the plane see PZL M-4 Tarpan

The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. The last specimen of this species died in captivity in Ukraine in 1918 or 1919.

Polish farmers often crossed the tarpan with their domestic horses. The result was a small horse breed, the Konik. Such animals, as the Konik, and also the Sorraia Horse preserved in Portugal, are now being used to breed back the Tarpan, and to fill in the niche that was left vacant by their extinction in the wild. The Hucul pony living in the Carpathian mountains is arguably the most direct descendant of the Tarpan.

The name Tarpan is from a Turkic language (Kyrgyz or Kazakh) name for the horse.

Taxonomic history

There have been attempts to recreate the Tarpan by breeding individuals who closely resemble the phenotype of the original animal. Two examples are the Konik horses of Poland and the Heck horse of Germany. While genetically not the same animal as the original Tarpan, their phenotype, that is, their outward appearance and manner, is similar.

References

• Equid Specialist Group 1996. Equus ferus. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 24 December 2005.

See also

• Przewalski's Horse
• Domestication of the horse
• List of extinct animals of Europe
• Žemaitukas

External links

• The Spanish Tarpan http://www.sorraia.org/
• The Spanish Tarpan in North America http://www.spanish-mustang.org/
• American "tarpan"
• North American Tarpan Association
• Resurrecting a "prehistoric" horse This article describes how Tarpan-style horses are now bred on the Genesis Equines ranch in central Oregon, USA.
• The Extinction Website - Tarpan - Equus ferus ferus
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Equus ferus