Topic:Animal Species
The topic "Animal Species and Horses" explores the interactions and relationships between horses and various other animal species. This includes understanding the ecological roles horses play within their environments, as well as their interactions with domestic and wild animals. Research in this area may cover aspects such as competition for resources, symbiotic relationships, and behavioral influences between horses and other species. Studies may also investigate the impact of horses on biodiversity and ecosystem dynamics. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that examine these interspecies relationships, focusing on the ecological, behavioral, and environmental implications of horses interacting with other animals.
Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Coxiella burnetii in Cattle, Goats, and Horses in the Republic of Korea. is an obligate intracellular zoonotic bacterium with a global distribution. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of in different animals and to assess the potential role of these species as reservoirs of infection and transmission to humans. A total of 592 blood samples (105 beef cattle, 61 dairy cattle, 110 Korean native goats, 83 Boer goats, and 233 horses) were collected in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The DNA was detected from blood samples using the transposon-like repetitive region () by PCR method. The results showed that 22.7% of the Korean-native goats, 16.4% of t...
Genetic Variability and Population Structure of Polish Konik Horse Maternal Lines Based on Microsatellite Markers. The aim of the conservation programme is to maintain the population size of endangered livestock breeds of less economic importance at a level that ensures the survival of the breed, the preservation of genetic diversity, and the preservation of as many pedigree lines as possible. The Polish Konik, a native Polish primitive-type horse breed and is one of the breeds included in such a programme in Poland. Presently, there are only 16 (of the 35 maternal lines known in 1962), some of which are endangered. We examined the genetic variability and structure of the Polish Konik maternal lines (176 i...
Genomics in the Horse Industry: Discovering New Questions at Every Turn. The sheer diversity of heritable physiological traits, and the ingenuity of genome derived research technologies, extends the study of genetics to impact diverse scientific fields. Equine science is no exception, experiencing a number of genome-enabled discoveries that spur further research in areas like nutrition, reproduction, and exercise physiology. Yet unexpected findings, especially those that over-turn commonly held beliefs in the horse industry, can create challenges in outreach, education and communication with stakeholders. For example, studies of ancient DNA revealed that the oldest...
Traces of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Mongolian Horse Mitochondrial Lineages in Modern Populations. The Mongolian horse is one of the most ancient and relatively unmanaged horse breeds. The population history of the Mongolian horse remains poorly understood due to a lack of information on ancient and modern DNA. Here, we report nearly complete mitochondrial genome data obtained from five ancient Mongolian horse samples of the Khereksur and Deer Stone culture (late 2nd to 1st third of the 1st millennium BC) and one ancient horse specimen from the Xiongnu culture (1st century BC to 1st century AD) using target enrichment and high-throughput sequencing methods. Phylogenetic analysis involving a...
Exploratory Behaviours of Primitive Horses Based on Konik: A Preliminary Study. This study aimed at assessing the behaviour of Konik geldings and mares, kept in a stable and in a free-range system, during behavioural tests regarded as a determinant of the exploration urge. A total of 19 Konik horses kept in individual stables and in a free-range system were included in the study. The experiment was conducted in five phases separated by five-day breaks. A one-stage passive human test was performed during the first phase, a three-stage active human test-2nd phase, a three-stage unknown object test-3rd phase, a two-stage unknown surface test-4th phase, and a one-stage test o...
Clock gene per 2 daily rhythm: Correlation with the serum level of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in goat and horse. Recent studies evidenced that the circadian rhythm of Per2 is involved in adaptive thermogenesis by the modulating transcription of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). For this purpose, we investigated the linkage between the daily rhythm of Per2 and UCP1 in ruminant and non-ruminant mammalian species. Five clinically healthy, not pregnant, and not lactating Maltese female goats and five clinically healthy, not pregnant, and not lactating Italian Saddle horses were enrolled in the study. All animals were housed under natural photoperiod (sunrise 05:05, sunset 20:55) and environmental temperature and ...
New World camelids are sentinels for the presence of Borna disease virus. Borna disease (BD), a frequently fatal neurologic disorder caused by Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), has been observed for decades in horses, sheep, and other mammals in certain regions of Europe. The bicoloured white-toothed shrew (Crocidura leucodon) was identified as a persistently infected species involved in virus transmission. Recently, BoDV-1 attracted attention as a cause of fatal encephalitis in humans. Here, we report investigations on BoDV-1-infected llamas from a farm in a BD endemic area of Switzerland, and alpacas from holdings in a region of Germany where BD was last seen in the...
Current genetic conservation of Chinese indigenous horses revealed with Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms. To investigate the genetic diversity of Chinese indigenous horses and determine the genetic status of extant horse breeds, novel Y chromosomal microsatellite markers and known Y chromosomal SNPs and mtDNA loop sequences, were employed to study the genetic diversity levels of 13 Chinese indigenous horse populations and four introduced breeds. Sixteen Y-chromosomal microsatellite markers, including seven newly identified loci, were used in the genotyping. The results showed that 4 out of the 16 loci were highly polymorphic in Chinese indigenous horse populations, in which the polymorphisms of 3 ...
Genomic comparisons of Persian Kurdish, Persian Arabian and American Thoroughbred horse populations. The present research aimed to characterize the Persian Kurdish horse population relative to the Persian Arabian and American Thoroughbred populations using genome-wide SNP data. Fifty-eight Kurdish, 38 Persian Arabian and 83 Thoroughbred horses were genotyped across 670,796 markers. After quality control and pruning to eliminate linkage disequilibrium between loci which resulted in 13,554 SNPs in 52 Kurdish, 24 Persian Arabian and 58 Thoroughbred horses, the Kurdish horses were generally distinguished from the Persian Arabian samples by Principal Component Analyses, cluster analyses and calcul...
The treatment of articular cartilage injuries with mesenchymal stem cells in different animal species. One of the major problems observed in veterinary practice is articular cartilage injuries in animals. In terms of agriculture, it leads to their culling from the herd, even if they are highly productive animals. With companion animals, owners usually have to decide between euthanasia or long-term sometimes lifelong treatment of the injury by a veterinarian. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of cartilage injury in veterinary medicine is based on the good results observed in preclinical studies, where large animals have been used as experimental models to study the regen...
Dominance and Leadership in the Equine Social Structure: A Preliminary Study About Mules and Sex Influence. Little is known about the dominance and leadership behaviors in the social structure of mules (Equus caballus × Equus asinus). Based on the frequency of threat and aggressive behaviors, we compared the social structure, dominance, and leadership of independent groups of mules and horses (n = 11 per group), and filmed the frequency of these behaviors over a period of four days. In both groups, aggressions were uncommon and, when based on threats, the social structure was linear and consistent with males ranking higher in dominance. When compared to horses, mules exhibited some agonistic so...
Genetic Diversities and Historical Dynamics of Native Ethiopian Horse Populations (Equus caballus) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Polymorphisms. Matrilineal genetic diversity and relationship were investigated among eight morphologically identified native Ethiopian horse populations using polymorphisms in 46 mtDNA D-loop sequences (454 base pairs). The horse populations identified were Abyssinian, Bale, Borana, Horro, Kafa, Kundido feral horses, Ogaden and Selale. Mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences were characterized by 15 variable sites that defined five different haplotypes. All genetic diversity estimates, including Reynolds' linearized genetic distance, genetic differentiation () and nucleotide sequence divergence (), revealed a lo...
Discriminant Canonical Analysis of the Contribution of Spanish and Arabian Purebred Horses to the Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Hispano-Arabian Horses. Genetic diversity and population structure were analyzed using the historical and current pedigree information of the Arabian (PRá), Spanish Purebred (PRE), and Hispano-Arabian (Há) horse breeds. Genetic diversity parameters were computed and a canonical discriminant analysis was used to determine the contributions of ancestor breeds to the genetic diversity of the Há horse. Pedigree records were available for 207,100 animals born between 1884 and 2019. Nei's distances and the equivalent subpopulations number indicated the existence of a highly structured, integrated population for the Há ...
Animals as potential reservoirs for dengue transmission: A systematic review. Dengue is a rapidly spreading mosquito-borne flavivirus infection that is prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Humans are known to be the main reservoir host maintaining the epidemic cycles of dengue but it is unclear if dengue virus is also maintained in a similar enzootic cycle. The systematic review was conducted in accordance to Cochrane's PRISMA recommendations. A search was done on PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane Library. Key data on animal dengue positivity was extracted and classified according to animal type and diagnostic modes. Of the 3818 articles identified, 56 arti...
A Scoping Review of the Evidence for the Medicinal Use of Natural Honey in Animals. Honey has a history of medicinal use that predates written records. In recent decades, there has been renewed interest in the use of honey in human medicine, particularly for the treatment of burns and other wounds. Several recent systematic reviews in the human literature have demonstrated the efficacy of honey in the treatment of a number of conditions, including burns, wounds and oral mucositis. The goal of this scoping review was to describe the nature and extent of the current body of evidence addressing the medicinal use of natural honey and/or its derivatives in animals. Although the fo...
Hooves on the Beach; Horses Disrupt the Sand Matrix and Might Alter Invertebrate Assemblages on Beaches. Beaches are under increasing pressure from a wide range of anthropogenic threats, including human trampling, vehicular crushing, and horse riding/training. The impacts of horses on beaches are unknown. We index the relative abundance, diversity and assemblage composition of beach invertebrates at paired sites with and without horses at nine beaches (locations) across Victoria, Australia. Horses were more common at sites where they were allowed and sites (horse versus no horse) within beaches were well matched, having similar slope, seaweed coverage, human and dog activity-attributes which vari...
Analysis of the Pedigree and Ancestors of the Cutting Population of the Quarter Horse Breed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity and to identify the most influential ancestors in the population of Brazilian Quarter Horses participating in cutting competitions. Data from 1,590 elite horses born between 1970 and 2015, which participated in cutting competitions between 1981 and 2018, were evaluated based on the pedigree file that contained 5,832 animals born since 1834. Evaluation of the quality of the pedigree data showed a mean number of known equivalent generations of 5.4 ± 1.5 and a mean generation interval of 11.7 ± 8.8 years. The inbreeding coefficient (1...
Aerial drone observations identified a multilevel society in feral horses. The study of non-human multilevel societies can give us insights into how group-level relationships function and are maintained in a social system, but their mechanisms are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to apply spatial association data obtained from drones to verify the presence of a multilevel structure in a feral horse society. We took aerial photos of individuals that appeared in pre-fixed areas and collected positional data. The threshold distance of the association was defined based on the distribution pattern of the inter-individual distance. The association rates o...
Social Behaviour of Horses in Response to Vocalisations of Predators. We tested the hypothesis that social defensive responses to the vocalisation of a predator still exist in horses. The recordings of a grey wolf, an Arabian leopard and a golden jackal were played to 20 Konik polski and Arabian mares. Durations of grazing, standing still, standing alert and the number of steps in walk and trot/canter were measured. In one-minute scans, the distances of the focal horse from the reference horse (DIST-RH) and from the nearest loudspeaker (DIST-LS) were approximated. The vocalisation of a leopard aroused the Arabians more than the Koniks (less grazing, stand-still ...
Exploring Potential Bioactive Peptides in Fermented Bactrian Camel’s Milk and Mare’s Milk Made by Mongolian Nomads. To date, bioactive proteins and peptides from minor livestock milks and their fermented products have been scarcely reported. In Mongolia, nomads are commonly rearing five livestock animal species (i.e., cow, camel, goat, horse, and sheep) for milking and other purposes. In this study, we analyzed the peptide composition in fermented milks of Bactrian camels () and horses, produced by Mongolian nomads for self-consumption. Peptides from skimmed fermented milks were separated by ultrafiltration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Then, their amino acid sequences were deter...
Different Approach to Horses-The Use of Equid Remains in the Early Middle Ages on the Example of Ostrów Tumski in Wroclaw. The following article concerns the functional use of horse bones in the early Middle Ages (mainly in the period from the mid of the 10th to the 12th/13th century). The authors try to explain how such remains were used and how common it was. It is also discussed whether the special role of the horse in medieval societies somehow restricted its post-mortem usage, or perhaps there was no difference between the skeletal remains of horses and other species in this regard. For this purpose, statistical calculations on the use of the bones of various mammals were made. Only the remains of the species...
Mitochondrial D-loop sequence variation and maternal lineage in the endangered Cleveland Bay horse. Genetic diversity and maternal ancestry line relationships amongst a sample of 96 Cleveland Bay horses were investigated using a 479bp length of mitochondrial D-loop sequence. The analysis yielded at total of 11 haplotypes with 27 variable positions, all of which have been described in previous equine mitochondrial DNA d-loop studies. Four main haplotype clusters were present in the Cleveland Bay breed describing 89% of the total sample. This suggests that only four principal maternal ancestry lines exist in the present-day global Cleveland Bay population. Comparison of these sequences with ot...
Levels of communication: The talking horse experiments. In the early twentieth century, counting and speaking horses, like the famous Clever Hans or the "Horses of Elberfeld," became widely debated subjects in experimental psychology. The idea was to determine whether their learning success was only a fraud, or if it might open up a new chapter in "animal psychology" - or even belong to the realm of parapsychology and telepathy. When their tricks were discovered, the teachers of the animals were marked as charlatans. Both the attempts to detect charlatans and the efforts to avoid this accusation during the talking horse experiments proceeded using ...
Selection in the Finnhorse, a native all-around horse breed. Selection by breeders modifies the morphology, behaviour and performance of domesticated species. Here, we examined signs of selection in Finnhorse, the only native horse breed in Finland. We first searched divergent genomic regions between Finnhorses and other breeds, as well as between different breeding sections of the Finnhorse with data from Illumina Equine SNP70 BeadChip, and then studied several of the detected regions in more detail. We found altogether 35 common outlier SNPs between Finnhorses and other breeds using two different selection tests. Many of the SNPs were located close to...
The Yolk Sac of the Equine Placenta. Its Remnant and Potential Problems. This review details the current state of knowledge about the equine yolk sac and its remnant (YSR) in the pregnant mare, which, incidentally, is the only animal species known to exhibit large and/or ossified YSR. It also describes the clinical significance of the YSR and details a case of a strangulating YSR that caused fetal death and abortion.
High genetic diversity of ancient horses from the Ukok Plateau. A growing number of researchers studying horse domestication come to a conclusion that this process happened in multiple locations and involved multiple wild maternal lines. The most promising approach to address this problem involves mitochondrial haplotype comparison of wild and domestic horses from various locations coupled with studies of possible migration routes of the ancient shepherds. Here, we sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes of six horses from burials of the Ukok plateau (Russia, Altai Mountains) dated from 2.7 to 1.4 thousand years before present and a single late Pleistocen...
Susceptibility of livestock and companion animals to COVID-19. While the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to wreak havoc, there is little known about the susceptibility of the livestock and companion animals relative to humans. Here, we explore the susceptibility of companion and agricultural animals, in light of the existing information on natural infections, experimental infections, serosurveillance, and in vitro protein-homology binding interaction studies of the SARS-CoV-2 with the proposed receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 from diverse animal species.