. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Pony pennings such as this one at Shackleford Banks used to be common along Tar Heel barrier islands. those grazing near Caswell are short, standing 14 to 15 1/2 hands, or 56 to 62 inches tall, and weigh about 1,000 pounds. Their foreheads are wide, their necks long and crested, and their chests broad. They have strong legs, a high tail and a long mane. Yet one of their most prominent features is a short back, due to five lumbar vertebrae, instead of the more common six. For decades, the absence of the six
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Pony pennings such as this one at Shackleford Banks used to be common along Tar Heel barrier islands. those grazing near Caswell are short, standing 14 to 15 1/2 hands, or 56 to 62 inches tall, and weigh about 1,000 pounds. Their foreheads are wide, their necks long and crested, and their chests broad. They have strong legs, a high tail and a long mane. Yet one of their most prominent features is a short back, due to five lumbar vertebrae, instead of the more common six. For decades, the absence of the sixth backbone has been all some people needed to prove that the ponies de- scended from Spanish mustangs. Many Spanish horses have five lum- bar vertebrae, agrees E. Gus Cothran, an associate research professor in the De- partment of Veterinary Science at the University of Kentucky. But so do many other breeds. Two years ago, Cothran, a genetics expert, attempted to decode the ancestry of the region's feral horses in a research project funded by the Eastern National Park and Monument Association. His study on the genetic makeup of horses at Ocracoke, Corolla, Shackleford, Carrot Island and sites in Georgia and Virginia made several previously un- charted discoveries and has become a guide for genetic management of the herds. FOR DECADES, THE ABSENCE OF THE SIXTH BACKBONE HAS BEEN ALL SOME PEOPLE NEEDED TO PROVE THAT THE PONIES DESCENDED FROM SPANISH MUSTANGS. In one part of the study, Cothran found that the Outer Banks horses had more in common genetically with one another than with 65 domestic breeds. Evidence also suggests that few other breeds had been introduced to the Banker ponies through the years, echoing the theory that they have been isolated for a long time. "I suspect, at least to some degree, that they all share ancestry," Cothran says from his office in Lexington, Ky. Spanish ancestry is evident, but the Banker horses are probably not straight descendants
Size: 1690px × 1478px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
