Idaho's fossil horse

In an area of south-central Idaho, bounded on the east by the Snake River and on the south by the Oregon trail, the 3-4 million year old sedimentary rocks of the Hagerman fossil beds preserve the largest concentrations of fossil horses in North America, in addition to over 200 species of plants and animals, including bear, otter, camel, sabertooth cat, and even a mole.

These rocks preserve a slice of time before the last Ice Age. Today, the area receives less than 10 inches of rainfall; the fossils give evidence that the climate in which these animals lived was much wetter.

The site is named for a species of fossil horse, Equus simplicidens, found in abundance near Hagerman, Idaho. It is the state fossil of Idaho, and the oldest known example Equus, the genus that includes modern horses, donkeys, and zebras.

P.S. The Hagerman horse was chosen for the theme of the "Idaho" U-Haul graphic.

More information on the Hagerman Fossil Beds here.

The illustration is an artist's reconstruction of the Hagerman ecosystem during the Pliocene Epoch. The original painting is at the Smithsonian Institution.