Andean Wild Horse
Hippidion devillei
🦓
Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Equoidea
Equidae
Hippidion
Hippidion devillei
The Andean Wild Horse — Hippidion devillei was a small, stout-limbed horse native to the high plains and valleys of South America during the Late Pleistocene. Adapted for rugged terrain and thin mountain air, it was one of the last representatives of South America’s unique equid lineage before human arrival and climatic change drove it to extinction.
Description
Hippidion devillei was smaller and more compact than modern horses, standing around 1.4 meters at the shoulder. It had a distinctly arched nasal bone, giving it a convex or “Roman-nosed” profile — an adaptation that likely improved breathing efficiency in cold, high-altitude environments. Its strong limbs and narrow hooves were well suited for uneven, rocky terrain, while its coat, inferred from related species, was likely dense and pale, aiding heat retention in Andean climates.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
366
1.4
2.1
2.5
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
Early South American hunter-gatherers hunted Hippidion devillei for its meat and hide. Archaeological finds suggest that the species was part of a broader extinction wave following the arrival of humans on the continent. Its trusting and slow-moving nature, evolved in isolation from human predators, made it vulnerable to organized hunting parties armed with spears and fire drives.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Lagoa Santa, Brazil — c. 10,500 BCE: Hippidion bones with butchering marks associated with Paleoindian tools.
Tarija Valley, Bolivia — c. 10,000 BCE: remains of Hippidion devillei alongside stone projectile points.
Pampa del Tamarugal, Chile — c. 9,500 BCE: evidence of horse bones near human habitation layers, suggesting hunting and consumption.
Time & Range
Extinction Status
Globally Extinct
Extinction Date
Temporal Range
Region
10000
BP
Late Pleistocene
South America
Wiki Link
Fat Analysis
Fatness Profile:
Medium
Fat %
5
Est. Renderable Fat
18.3
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3