The gait of Hipparion sp. from fossil footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania
The gait of Hipparion sp. from fossil footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania
复制标题
三趾马的步态。
作者：
E. Renders
现在在莱托利发现了三条三趾马的足迹，两条来自成年人，一条来自大约350万年前的少年。三趾马的脚印与家养马留下的各种脚印的比较表明，三趾马在拉多里柔软而光滑的土壤上奔跑：在后-前-后-前的交替脚步顺序中，一只脚总是靠近地面，如果支撑脚滑动，它可以承担身体的重量。较小的少年比成年人迈出的步伐相对较长。身体的支撑主要由第三大脚趾提供。证据表明，在脚印形成的时候，火山灰正在下降，这表明这些动物大约在同一时间经过该地区。在幼年和成年三趾马的足迹中的十字形图案可以在活体马的幼崽和马驹的旅行行为中看到。证据表明，三趾马是移动与运行步行支持的观点，这种步态是不是'人教'的骑手舒适，但在现代马的自然能力。
Three Hipparion trails, two from adults and one from a juvenile dating from about 3.5 Myr ago, have now been found in Laetoli. Comparison of the Hipparion footprints with a variety of imprints made by domestic horses showed that the animals moved with a running walk over the soft and slippery soil of Laetoli: in the alternative hind–fore–hind–fore footfall sequence one foot is always close to the ground and can take over the body weight if the supporting foot slides. The smaller juvenile was taking relatively longer strides than the adult. Body support was provided mainly by the third main toe. The evidence indicates that volcanic ash was falling at the time the footprints were made, suggesting that the animals were passing through the area at about the same time. The criss-cross pattern in the trails of the juvenile and adult Hipparion can be seen in the travelling behaviour of mares and foals of living horses. Evidence that the Hipparion were moving with a running walk supports the view that this gait is not ‘man-taught’ for rider-comfort, but a natural ability in modern horses.