Przewalski's horses, critically endangered horses found in Mongolia, are the last truly wild horse. Once thought to be the ancestor to the domestic horse, they are actually distant cousins. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that they diverged from a common ancestor 500,000 years ago. Przewalski's horses once ranged throughout Europe and Asia. Competition with man and livestock, as well as changes in the environment, led to the horse moving east to Asia, and eventually becoming extinct in the wild. Today they can only be found in reintroduction sites in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Przewalski's horses are 4.3 to 5 feet tall at the withers, 7.25 to 8.5 feet long and weigh 550 to 800 pounds
Przewalski's horses are the only wild horses left in the world. The "wild" horses that abound in Australia and North America's western plains and East Coast barrier islands are actually feral domestic horses that escaped from ranches and farms and returned to the wild.
Placement of this geocache has been approved by Rob Rossmanith, Park Biologist. Please remember, all wheels off the paved road when parking. Do not block any gates or trailheads and follow the posted speed limits.