Question

Assertion: The earliest fossil form in the phylogeny of horses is Eohippus.
Reasoning: Eohippus lived during the early Pliocene epoch.
A. Both assertion and reason are correct and reason is the correct explanation for assertion.
B. Both assertion and reason are correct but reason is not the correct explanation for assertion.
C. Assertion is correct but reason is incorrect.
D. Both assertion and reason are incorrect.

Answer 1

The change of heritable characteristics in a biological population over the upcoming generations is known as evolution. The characteristics are the expression of their gene, which is passed during the process of reproduction from the parents to the offspring.

Complete answer:
• A horse is a mammal belonging to the family Equidae, and is present on the earth from 50 million years according to the geological timescale.
• According to the fossils obtained and the study made by the paeleo- zoologists.
• Eohippus are the first type of horse which are present in the early Eocene era, which is about 52 million years ago. After that, Orohippus arrived in the mid Eocene era, followed by Eohippus and then Misohippus that arrived in the late Eocene era.
• From the Miocene era and the Pliocene era, the transformation of horses could be seen, and in this era Kalabatippus, Parahippus, Merychippus, Hipparion, Pliohippus, Dino hippus, Plesippus arrived. The modern horses included Equus.
• Therefore, it can be concluded that the earliest fossil form in the phylogeny of horses is Eohippus. But Eohippus lived during the early Eocene epoch.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: The ancestral horses walked on their third toe, and have a bone named as splint bone, which is a remnant of the first and second toe. They have short and bumpy molars, as their teeth. They are found in a variety of colors ranging from various shades of white, brown and black.