Equus (genus) 54 million years ago (Mya). These animals had three toes on the hind feet and four on the front feet with small hooves in place of claws, but also had soft pads.<ref name="doi10.1126/science.1105458"></ref> Equids developed into larger, three-toed animals (e.g. "Mesohippus") during the Oligocene and Miocene. From there, the side toes became progressively smaller through the Pleistocene until the emergence of the single-toed "Equus". The genus "Equus", which includes all extant equines, is believed to have evolved from "Dinohippus", via the intermediate form "Plesippus". One of the oldest species is "Equus simplicidens", described as zebra-like with a donkey-like head shape.
George Africanus George Africanus George John Scipio Africanus (c. 1763 – 19 May 1834) was a West African former slave who became a successful entrepreneur in Nottingham. The early life of George Africanus is obscure. Calculating his birth year from his burial certificate, he was probably born in 1763. His obituary in the "Nottingham Review" of 30 May 1834 states that he was born in a village in Sierra Leone, which became a British colony in 1787. It is believed that George arrived in England in early 1766. On 31 March 1766, he was baptised George John Scipio Africanus, and described as