Continuing the horse trend in increased body size, Merychippusappeared about 17 million years ago in North America, and stood about 1rnJ3Ya 10-hand pony of today. This coincided with the appearance of grasses and their spread to form wide-open plains in the drier climate of the Miocene. The neck and legs of Merychippuswere even longer than its ancestors. There were still three toes on each foot, but the central one (digit 3) was now much larger and the two outer ones hardly touched the ground at all and bore no weight.The position of the eyes allowed better all-round vision to scan the open habitat for enemies.
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