Theyâre stockier than your average horse and a lot tougher to come by.
A Winnipeg zoo is now home to a pair of Przewalskiâs horses, an engaged subspecies of wild horses once thought to be extinct.
The male horses, both two-years-old, are the newest addition to the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
Originating in Mongolia, Przewalskiâs horses are smaller than most domestic horses, weighing between 440 to 750 pounds. They also have stockier bodies, standing between 1.2 and 1.4 metres high, with upright, zebra-like manes and a dark stripe down their backs.
âPrzewalskiâs horses are quite rare, which makes this an even greater addition for our visitors since most have never seen them before,â Tim Sinclair-Smith, the zooâs director of operations, said in a statement.
The breed is the last surviving subspecies of wild horse.
There are currently nearly 1,500 Przewalskiâs horses living in zoos and breeding facilities and another 400 can be found in the wild.
The horses are part of the Assiniboine Park Zooâs Species Survival Program.
Zoo officials said they hopes to expand the number of Przewalskiâs horses by acquiring female horses in order to participate in a breeding program.