south australia

przewelskis horse

endangered animals

A Przewalski's horse has been cloned

@JudyEv (325255)

Rockingham, Australia

January 28, 2023 6:15pm CST

A Californian zoo has cloned a Przewalski horse, also known as the Mongolian wild horse. This primitive breed is highly endangered with almost all surviving specimens relating back to just 12 born in native habitats. Kurt, a colt (male), has been created from DNA preserved from 42 years ago. Hopefully, this will boost the genetic variation in the species. Kurt was born to a surrogate Quarter horse mother and is the first born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park since 2014. The Przewalski is not very tall, 12 to 14 hands (with a hand being 4 inches) and is dun in colour with a darker mane and tail and dark ‘points’ (lower legs). It often has primitive markings such as a dorsal stripe and horizontal markings on the legs. The photo is mine taken at Monarto Zoo in South Australia. Here, animals are kept in a natural environment and buses take you through the various paddocks.

20 people like this

14 responses

@DWDavis (25812)

• Pikeville, North Carolina

29 Jan 23

How far science has come that they can take 42-year-old DNA and use it to help a species survive.

3 people like this

show previous comments

@DWDavis (25812)

• Pikeville, North Carolina

29 Jan 23

@JudyEv Breakthroughs like this make me wonder if Jurassic Park is really as impossible as the scientists say it is.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

@DWDavis You'd have to wonder. There was talk of recreating the Tasmanian tiger but I don't know how far they've got with that.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

It's pretty incredible, isn't it?

3 people like this

Show more comments

@rebelann (111073)

• El Paso, Texas

29 Jan 23

I hope they'll be able to recover their numbers eventually.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

That would be good for sure. I hate seeing species die out.

2 people like this

@rebelann (111073)

• El Paso, Texas

29 Jan 23

Me too. It's a shame how many we've lost since 1970.

2 people like this

@BarBaraPrz (45430)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

29 Jan 23

"The Przewalski is not very tall"... neither is this Przeklasa...

I find it odd that a Mongolian horse would have a Polish name.

2 people like this

show previous comments

@BarBaraPrz (45430)

• St. Catharines, Ontario

29 Jan 23

@Fleura I see.

1 person likes this

@Fleura (29093)

• United Kingdom

29 Jan 23

According to Wikipedia, Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky was a Russian geographer of Polish descent, and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

I'm afraid I didn't recognise it as Polish. I had a Polish school friend. She always had to spell out her name to the teachers and would always do it in the same way - Chm-i-ele-wski'. lol

2 people like this

@jstory07 (134227)

• Roseburg, Oregon

29 Jan 23

I hope the numbers will go back up soon.

2 people like this

show previous comments

@Fleura (29093)

• United Kingdom

29 Jan 23

@JudyEv apparently there are fewer than 2,000 left. Imagine if there were only 2,000 humans in the world, that's less than half the population of our village.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

@Fleura I know it's probably not as important but I read there are less Suffolk Punches (draught horse breed but I'm sure you know that) now than there are pandas but that was some years ago. Other native breeds are also at risk and I find that sad too.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

My photo shows quite a big mob but I guess in the scheme of things it's not a lot.

2 people like this

Show more comments

@wolfgirl569 (94706)

• Marion, Ohio

29 Jan 23

Hope he survives and grows great.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

Hopefully he'll be okay.

2 people like this

@JamesHxstatic (29233)

• Eugene, Oregon

29 Jan 23

Very interesting about the history of that horse.

3 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

It's amazing what they can do nowadays.

1 person likes this

@MGjhaud (23094)

• Philippines

29 Jan 23

I saw this while reading the news online earlier. I was going to tell my little nephew about it. He enjoys this type of thing. I honestly don't give much thought to such things but the fact that they are possible amazes me.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

It is certainly amazing but what a good thing if they can stop the extinction of some animals.

1 person likes this

@snowy22315 (169553)

• United States

29 Jan 23

They look like donkeys with longer faces.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

They certainly look quite primitive.

1 person likes this

@allknowing (130067)

• India

29 Jan 23

That tongue twister named horse - unless you have spelt it wrongly

has now has hopes to increase and multiply

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@allknowing (130067)

• India

30 Jan 23

@JudyEv I have seen other languages where some alphabets are there but silent!!! This word starts with Prz with no vowel in between - how on earth can one pronounce it?!!!

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

Apparently it's a Polish word and gets the name from an explorer.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

@allknowing I guess some of the vowels are silent but, in that case, why are they there?

@LadyDuck (457307)

• Switzerland

29 Jan 23

I hope they can save this breed, those horses are beautiful. I am glad those horses are kept in a natural environment.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

There are quite a few throughout the world in parks, etc but I guess in terms of being saved from extinction it's not so many.

2 people like this

@LadyDuck (457307)

• Switzerland

29 Jan 23

@JudyEv - I fear there are not many, we should try to save more species of animals.

2 people like this

@Fleura (29093)

• United Kingdom

29 Jan 23

It's nice that efforts are being made to preserve this species. But at the same time that this kind of work is going on with a few rare species (and there's even talk of reviving extinct animals such as mammoths), it is estimated that one million other species are at risk of extinction and the situation is just getting worse!

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

@Fleura Good point. I guess they'd have to be kept in captivity till numbers built up which would take years and how could they get genetic diversity.

1 person likes this

@Ronrybs (17838)

• London, England

29 Jan 23

I have heard of Przewalskis, but never seen a real one. I think it is a positive step to preserve these horses, along with a few animals I can think of

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

It might help stop the extinction of some.

2 people like this

@Ronrybs (17838)

• London, England

29 Jan 23

@JudyEv Indeed, a bit of pre-planning can stop hand wringing later on

1 person likes this

@sarik1 (6747)

•

29 Jan 23

It is nice photo.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

29 Jan 23

Thanks. It was taken some years ago.

2 people like this

@CarolDM (203454)

• Nashville, Tennessee

29 Jan 23

Sounds like an interesting process. A great photo here as always.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (325255)

• Rockingham, Australia

30 Jan 23

Thanks. There was quite a herd of them. I can't remember now if I got them all in the photo or not. Iin such natural circumstances, I should imagine there would be lots of foals born each year.

1 person likes this

@CarolDM (203454)

• Nashville, Tennessee

30 Jan 23

@JudyEv They are unique for sure. I enjoy all of the animals.

1 person likes this