Tarpan (SciiFii)

The tarpan (Equus ferus ferus), also known as Eurasian wild horse and the European wild horse, is a subspecies of wild horse that is native throughout mainland Eurasia and was once extinct since the mid-Holocene, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii, who extracted DNA from the tarpan and used Heck horses (a breed of domestic horses that were bred by the German zoologist brothers Heinz Heck and Lutz Heck during the 1930s in an attempt to make a breed that resembles a tarpan) and reintroduced throughout tarpan Eurasia to help boost biodiversity. A number of coat color genotypes have been identified within European wild horses from the Pleistocene and Holocene (even the ones alive today): those creating bay, black and leopard complex are known from the wild horse population in Europe and the Pleistocene ones were depicted in cave paintings. Unlike most other pure wild horses and like domestic horses, the tarpan is born with a short, falling mane that diverts rain and snow from the neck and face and prevents a loss of heat, similarly to its bushy tail. The tarpan's diet consists mostly of vegetation such as grasses, roots, and other kinds of plants. The tarpans usually form herds of between five and fifteen members, consisting of an old stallion, his mares and foals. Offspring stay in the family group until they are no longer dependent, usually at two or three years old. Young females join other harems, while bachelor stallions as well as old stallions who have lost their harems join bachelor groups. Family groups can join together to form a herd that moves together. The patterns of their daily lives exhibit horse behavior similar to that of feral horse herds. Stallions herd, drive, and defend all members of their family, while the mares often display leadership in the family. Stallions and mares stay with their preferred partners for years. While behavioral synchronization is high among mares, stallions other than the main harem stallion are generally less stable in this respect. Tarpans maintain visual contact with their family and herd at all times, and have a host of ways to communicate with one another, including vocalizations, scent marking, and a wide range of visual and tactile signals. Each kick, groom, tilt of the ear, or other contact with another horse is a means of communicating. This constant communication leads to complex social behaviors among tarpans. Mating occurs in late spring or early summer. Mating stallions do not start looking for mating partners until the age of ﬁve. Stallions assemble groups of mares or challenge the leader of another group for dominance. Females are able to give birth at the age of three and have a gestation period of 11–12 months. Foals are able to stand about an hour after birth. Foals begin grazing within a few weeks but are not weaned for 8–13 months after birth. They reach sexual maturity at two years of age. The conservation status of the tarpan is Vulnerable due to some habitat loss and historic poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the tarpans are making a comeback.