Pampas Horse
Hippidion principale
🦓
Chordata
Mammalia
Perissodactyla
Equoidea
Equidae
Hippidion
Hippidion principale
The Pampas Horse of the Ice Age — Hippidion principale was one of the largest and most widespread members of the South American horses, a thick-bodied grazer that roamed the cold grasslands of the Pampas and Patagonia during the Pleistocene. It was a relic lineage, isolated from its North American relatives for millions of years, perfectly adapted to open plains and harsh winds.
Description
Standing about 1.45 meters at the shoulder, Hippidion principale was built sturdily, with short legs and a notably arched nasal bone — giving its skull a high, domed profile distinct from modern horses. This nasal shape likely enhanced its breathing efficiency in cold, dry climates. Its thick winter coat, inferred from the environments it inhabited, would have been crucial for surviving glacial winds sweeping across the Argentine Pampas.
Hippidion principale fed primarily on coarse grasses and shrubs, its molars adapted for grinding tough vegetation. It shared its world with Macrauchenia, Megatherium, and the sabertooth Smilodon populator, forming part of South America’s grand Ice Age ecosystem.
Quick Facts
Max Mass
Shoulder Height
Standing Height
Length
Diet
Trophic Level
468
1.4
2.1
2.4
kg
m
m
m
Mixed Feeder
Omnivores – Balanced
Hunt History
Humans who arrived in South America during the late Pleistocene hunted Hippidion principale as a vital food source. Archaeological evidence shows that early hunter-gatherers pursued these horses using coordinated drives and stone-tipped projectiles. Their extinction, like many other megafaunal species, coincided closely with the arrival of humans and rapid climatic warming after the last glacial maximum.
Archaeological Evidence of Human Predation:
Pampas del Sur, Argentina — c. 10,800 BCE: horse bones with cut marks near hearths.
Lagoa Santa, Brazil — c. 10,500 BCE: Hippidion principale remains associated with human tools and ash layers.
Patagonia, Argentina — c. 9,800 BCE: spear-point fragments embedded in horse ribs, evidence of direct hunting.
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
23.4
kg
Targeted Organs
Visceral & subcutaneous
Adipose Depots
Visceral/subcutaneous (general)
Preferred Cuts
Visceral depot
Hunt Difficulty (x/5)
3