A tan Przewalski's horse with an upright dark mane standing on a grassy steppe. — Photo: Claudia Feh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Przewalski's Horse

Equus ferus przewalskii

The last truly wild horse, a stocky dun-colored horse of Mongolia that was extinct in the wild and has been brought back.

🦓 Hoofed Mammals

Checking teacher reviews…

Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Przewalski's Horse

Przewalski's horses stand 4.3 to 5 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 550 to 800 pounds. They are tan (dun) with a dark mane that stands straight up, a dark stripe down the back and zebra-like stripes behind the knees. They graze on grass and leaves from shrubby trees. Groups have several mares, a dominant stallion and their young.^[2]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Equus ferus przewalskii^[2]
Size: 4.3 to 5 feet tall at the withers; 7.25 to 8.5 feet long.^[2]
Weight: 550 to 800 pounds.^[2]
Lifespan: Up to 36 years.^[2]
Diet: Herbivore. Grass and leaves from shrubby trees.^[2]
Habitat: Steppes and desert grasslands.^[2]
Where it lives: Reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.^[2]
Group life: Groups of several mares, a dominant stallion and their offspring.^[2]
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2014).^[3]

Fun facts

Przewalski's horse is the last truly wild horse; it was never domesticated.^[1]
In Mongolia it's called "takhi," meaning spirit.^[1]
All of today's Przewalski's horses descend from just 14 founders.^[2]

Vocabulary

dun: A sandy or tan coat color, often with darker legs and mane.
mane: Long hair growing on an animal's neck.
steppe: A large, dry, treeless grassland.
founder: One of the first animals a population descends from.
reintroduce: To return a species to a place where it used to live.

See it in person

San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · MammalsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Przewalski's Horse.” https://www.sfzoo.org/przewalskis-horse/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Przewalski's horse.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/przewalskis-horse (accessed 2026-10-02)
[3] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Equus ferus (Przewalski's Horse).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41763/97204950 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Hoofed Mammals

American BisonBison bisonA huge, shaggy grazer of North America that once numbered in the tens of millions and nearly disappeared.Babydoll Southdown SheepOvis ariesA small, teddy-bear-faced sheep breed from England's South Downs with some of the finest wool of any British breed.Bactrian CamelCamelus bactrianus (domestic); wild relative Camelus ferusA two-humped camel of Central Asian deserts, domesticated thousands of years ago as a pack animal that can go a long time without food or water.Black RhinocerosDiceros bicornisA critically endangered two-horned rhino of eastern and southern Africa that browses on shrubs with a pointed, grasping lip.Chacoan PeccaryCatagonus wagneriA pig-like hoofed mammal of South America's dry Gran Chaco, known only from fossils until it was found alive in 1975.Domestic GoatCapra hircusOne of the oldest farm animals, a curious, climbing grazer that comes in many breeds, sizes and colors.Dromedary CamelCamelus dromedariusThe one-humped Arabian camel, built for hot deserts, that can go days without drinking.Greater One-Horned RhinocerosRhinoceros unicornisA huge, armor-looking rhino of India and Nepal with a single horn, whose numbers have recovered from about 150 animals to thousands.Gulf Coast Native SheepOvis ariesThe oldest type of sheep in the United States, a hardy breed descended from Spanish settlers' flocks that handles heat and humidity well.Huacaya AlpacaVicugna pacosA fluffy domestic alpaca first raised by Andean people in Peru more than 6,000 years ago for its soft, warm fleece.Nigerian Dwarf GoatCapra aegagrus hircusA small, easygoing dairy goat breed of West African ancestry known for rich milk, often born three or four at a time.Nubian GoatCapra aegagrus hircusA tall dairy goat breed with long, floppy ears and a rounded nose, developed in England from British, African and Indian goats.Oberhasli GoatCapra aegagrus hircusA reddish-brown Swiss dairy goat breed with black markings, prized for its milk and its sturdy, fearless nature.Plains ZebraEquus quagga (subspecies include Grant's zebra)The most common zebra, a grass-grazing striped horse relative of eastern and southern Africa whose stripe pattern is one-of-a-kind on every animal. Grant's zebra is one kind.Pygmy HippopotamusChoeropsis liberiensisA small, shy, endangered hippo that lives alone in the forests and swamps of West Africa, mostly in Liberia.Reticulated GiraffeGiraffa reticulata (also listed as Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)An endangered giraffe of northern Kenya with orange-brown patches outlined by a network of bright white lines.Shetland SheepOvis aries (Shetland breed)A small, hardy sheep breed from Scotland's Shetland Isles that comes in more colors than almost any other breed.Southern White RhinocerosCeratotherium simum simumThe largest rhino, a wide-lipped grass grazer of southern Africa that came back from near extinction to about 20,000 animals.TakinBudorcas taxicolorA big, shaggy Himalayan mountain animal with a moose-like nose and horns like a wildebeest, most closely related to sheep.