Talk:Tarpan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[edit] IUCN Link: Equus ferus
The links had been removed, because it was about the Przewalski horse subspecies. But that is not true. It is about all Eurasian wild horses, the Przewalski horse is also mentioned, and linked to the Przewalski subspecies page on the IUCN red list. See text from that link: "This assessment is for the wild horse, not for the domesticated horse or any of its feral populations. Of the three subspecies that lived in historical times (since 1500 AD) two are Extinct while the third survives only in captivity or as highly managed introduced or reintroduced populations. Wild animals survived in eastern Europe (Poland, Belarus, Lithuania and Germany) through the eighteenth century, with the last wild individuals killed in 1814 (Novak 1999). The subspecies, known as the Plains Tarpan, lived on the steppes of southern Russia and the Ukraine. Its disappearance is attributed to interbreeding with domestic horses; hunting by people for sport and to protect their mares and forage; and the rapid settlement and cultivation of the steppes in the ninereenth century (Novak 1999). The last known wild individual died in Ukraine in 1879 (Novak 1999). Przewalski's Horse (E. ferus przewalskii) is the only subspecies still extant, but only as 'captive' populations. The last know sighting of animals in the wild was made in 1969 in Mongolia. All subsequent expenditions to find animals in both Mongolia and China have failed to find any evidence for their continued survival in the wild. For further details, see the account for this subspecies." Wild Horse (text from this link): IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Equus ferus Przewalski Horse: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Equus ferus ssp. przewalskii Pmaas 22:24, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
[edit] the name
ru:Тарпан gives a Turkic etymology of the name, unfortunately without reference. I can imagine a meaning of "flying forward", but I have more difficulty believing the term means "to be born in full gallop", that sounds a little too picturesquely Sapir-Whorfish. There is also an anecdote about Tarpan-hunting I would like to quote here, but unfortunately also given without source. dab (ᛏ) 11:09, 22 August 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The tarpan's closest living relative
The tarpan article has this to say:
"The Hucul pony living in the Carpathian mountains is arguably the most direct descendant of the Tarpan."
But the article on horse says:
"The Wild Polish Horse or Konik more closely resembles the tarpan than any other living horse."
Which is right? Or is that point disputed? If anyone actually knows, or at least knows enough to know where to look, a little reconciliatory research could be in order.
- Both can be right. Being the most direct descendant does not mean it has to resemble the tarpan the most. The Konik does resemble in appearance the Tarpan the most. But (and I don't know enough on this breed) the Hucul pony might be genetically more pure and therefor the most direct descendant. As Koniks are tapans descendants crossbred with other breeds, while the text on the Hucul pony says they are only rarely cross-bred with domestic horses. Besides that, the taxonomy of the horse subspecies is still not completely clear. There is still need for a lot of (genetic) research, including for horse breeds like the Konik, Hucul pony, Exmoor Pony, Sorraia, etc. Peter Maas 19:28, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
