Hoof

right|thumb|The feet of the [[roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) have cloven hooves with prominent dewclaws.]]

The hoof (: hooves or hoofs) is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, which is covered and strengthened with a thick and horny keratin covering.

Hooves are present in some even-toed and odd-toed placental mammals, as well as in some nonmammalians.

Artiodactyls ( : "even", and : "toe") are even-toed ungulates, species whose feet have an even number of digits; the ruminants with two digits are the most numerous, e.g. giraffe, deer, bison, cattle, goats, gazelles, antelopes, pigs, and sheep.
The feet of perissodactyl ( : : uneven", and : "toe") mammals have an odd number of toes, e.g. the horse, the rhinoceros, and the tapir.
Although hooves are limb structures primarily found in placental mammals, hadrosaurs such as Edmontosaurus possessed hoofed hindlimbs. The marsupial Chaeropus also had hooves.

Description

thumb|Sagittal section of a [[horse hoof. Pink: soft tissues; light gray: bone; cyan: tendons; red: corium; yellow: digital cushion; dark gray: frog; orange: sole; brown: walls]]

The hoof surrounds the distal end of the second phalanx, the distal phalanx, and the navicular bone. The hoof consists of the hoof wall, the bars of the hoof, the sole and frog and soft tissue shock absorption structures. Inside the hoof wall is a laminar junction, a soft tissue structure that allows the hoof to withstand the demands of force transmission it undergoes. This tissue structure binds the inner surface of the hoof wall, the dermis parietis and the outer surface of the third phalanx. Other cloven-hooved animals (such as giraffes and pronghorns) have no dewclaws.

In some cloven-hooved animals, such as camels, the "hoof" is not properly a hoof – it is not a hard or rubbery sole with a hard wall formed by a thick nail – instead it is a soft toe with little more than a nail merely having an appearance of a hoof.

Some odd-toed ungulates (equids) have one hoof on each foot; others have (or had) three distinct hooved or heavily nailed toes, or one hoof and two dewclaws. The tapir is a special case, having three toes on each hind foot and four toes on each front foot.

Management

An [[ox#Shoeing|oxshoe is being nailed on the hooves of a bull used for draft at Chinawal, India, to prevent them from wearing out too much.|thumb]]

Hooves grow continuously. In nature, wild animals are capable of wearing down the hoof as it continuously grows, but captive domesticated species often must undergo specific hoof care for a healthy, functional hoof. Proper care improves biomechanical efficiency and prevents lameness.

Horses

Within the equine world, the expression, "no foot, no horse" emphasizes the importance of hoof health. Hoof care is important in the equine industry.

Cattle

thumb|right|Trimming the hoof of a cow with an [[angle grinder]]

A cow hoof is cloven, or divided, into two approximately equal parts, usually called claws. Approximately 95% of lameness in dairy cattle occurs in the feet.

Hoof trimmers trim and care for bovine hooves, usually dairy cows. Hooves can be trimmed with a sharp knife while the cow is restrained and positioned with ropes. Professional hoof trimmers tend to use angle grinders and some type of hoof trimming crush to make the process quicker and less physically demanding on the hoof trimmer. A hoof trimmer using modern machinery may trim the hooves of more than 10,000 cows per year. The trimmer shapes the hooves to provide the optimal weight-bearing surface. A freshly trimmed hoof may be treated with copper sulfate pentahydrate to prevent foot rot.

Gallery

Masai Giraffe right-rear foot.jpg|Rear foot of a giraffe (no dewclaws)

Horse rear hooves.jpg|Rear hooves of a horse

Tapir hooves.jpg|Malayan tapir hooves: front with four toes, back with three toes

Pig cracked hooves.JPG|Cloven hooves of a pig

Schafbeine 01.jpg|Sheep hooves

Amneville Bison 27082010 4.jpg|Pointed hooves of a bison

Cameltoe - Flickr - loufi.jpg|Broad hooves of a camel

Deer Are The Hoofed Ruminant Mammals Forming The Family Cervidae.jpg|Cloven hooves of an anoa

Blogcaribou8.jpg|Reindeer hooves

Winter horse hooves (5909760691).jpg|Horses' hooves in snow

Rind - Hufe - Zoopark Erfurt - 20120409.JPG|Cattle hooves

PSM V40 D380 Musk ox hooves.jpg|Muskoxen broad hooves

Carcassonne - Dama dama 11.jpg|Hooves of a fallow deer showing dewclaws

Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Study of a Goat's Deformed Hoof - WGA00854.jpg|Deformed hoof of a domestic goat

Burg Meersburg April 2010 1010942.jpg|Moose hoof

La Palmyre 106.jpg|White rhinoceroses' hoof

The philosophical transactions (from the year 1732 Fleuron T103701-19.png|Rhinoceroses' hooves

Sus Scrofa Vorderlauf.jpg|Hooves of a pig showing dewclaws

Klaue eines Hausschweins.JPG|Pigs' hooves in soft ground

Bairds-Tapir-Foot.jpg|Cloven hooves of a tapir

Vorderbeine und Kopf Skuddenlamm.JPG|Domestic sheep hooves

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In culture

Hooves have historical significance in ceremonies and games. They have been used in burial ceremonies.