Przewalski’s horse, also known as the takhi, is the last true wild horse species. Once extinct in the wild, these horses now thrive in reintroduction sites across Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Their diet and foraging habits are important for their survival, shaping their behavior and adaptations to diverse environments. Understanding what and how they eat provides insights into their ecological role and conservation challenges.
Natural Foraging Habits
In their native steppe and semi-desert habitats, Przewalski’s horses primarily graze, consuming a wide range of vegetation. Their diet mainly consists of various grasses, including species such as Elymus repens, Poa trivialis, Dactylis glomerata, and Bromus inermis. They also consume forbs like Trifolium pratense and Vicia cracca, along with leaves from shrubby trees and bark.
Like zebras and donkeys, Przewalski’s horses are hindgut fermenters. This means their digestive system processes large quantities of fibrous plant matter in the hindgut, unlike ruminants. This strategy allows them to subsist on lower-quality vegetation and process food rapidly, compensating for less efficient nutrient absorption by consuming larger volumes of forage. Their robust jaws and hypsodont cheek teeth are well-suited for grinding abrasive plant material, an adaptation to their high-fiber diet. Przewalski’s horses spend 60-70% of their day foraging for food, moving across their habitats to locate nutritious plants.
Seasonal Dietary Shifts
The diet of Przewalski’s horses shifts with the changing seasons, reflecting vegetation availability and nutritional content. During warmer months, when lush grasses are abundant, their diet is predominantly composed of these herbaceous plants. In spring, they may favor species like Corynephorus canescens and Festuca valesiaca, while in late summer, they gravitate towards Elymus repens and Vicia cracca.
As colder months arrive, Przewalski’s horses adapt their foraging to include more woody plants, such as leaves, twigs, and buds from shrubs and hardy trees. They may also scrape away snow to access grasses underneath or grub for fallen acorns in autumn. This flexible habit allows them to endure periods when their preferred grass is less available.
Diet in Conservation Settings
In conservation settings, including zoos, wildlife reserves, and reintroduction programs, managing the diet of Przewalski’s horses aims to mimic their natural foraging patterns. Zoos provide a diet of hay, supplemented with grain, and vitamin and mineral supplements for complete nutrition. This approach helps prevent common health issues like colic or enterolithiasis, which can be linked to diet and environment.
For horses in reintroduction programs, transitioning from a captive diet to wild forage can be challenging, as zoo-bred animals may initially struggle with a high-fiber, low-protein diet typical of wild winters. Conservationists monitor their adaptation, sometimes providing supplementary feeding until the horses can independently maintain their health. The success of reintroduction efforts depends on the horses’ ability to adapt their intestinal microbiota to the higher fiber content of wild plants. Establishing self-sustaining populations relies on these horses fully embracing natural foraging behaviors without continuous human intervention.