中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所机构知识库

Early Pleistocene Equus specimens collected from Jinyuan Cave, Luotuo Hill, Dalian, have been described. The newly reported specimens include two forms. The large-sized form is identified as E. sanmeniensis. The small-sized form is identified as E. teilhardi. E. sanmeniensis shares highly similar features with another huge-sized species E. wangi. Based on further comparison of the new and classic specimens of E. sanmeniensis, the differences between these two species are more obvious. For now, Early Pleistocene Equus in Jinyuan Cave includes E. sanmeniensis, E. teilhardi and E. qingyangensis, same as the composition of Nihewan fauna (s.s.) in Hebei and similar to Bajiazui fauna in Gansu. Among Early Pleistocene Equus in China, medium-sized forms are wide distributed, while distributions of large-sized form are relatively limited, and this is likely relative to difference of adaptability. From Early to Late Pleistocene, Equus community seemed to keep in a pattern of one large-sized species accompanied with two medium-sized species with slender and robust limbs, respectively. This pattern had occurred since around 2.1 Ma, likely established during the second immigration event of Equus from North America to Eurasia.