False Hooves
Posted by Todd Scroggins on February 28, 2006
Q: What exactly are false hooves on antelope and do you have a picture of one?
A: These are the reduced digits (toes) that have no function and do not touch the ground. If you look closely at a deer's foot, you can see that it stands on only two toes, but there are a couple of other toes just above these that seem rather pointless. Over a long period of time, deer and antelope have evolved a foot arrangement of toe reduction that maximizes their ability to run. The toes that are still present but nonfunctional - the false toes - are simply vestigal toes. The Ostrich, a ground running bird, has also gone this same route and lost all but two of its toes to maximize it speed. Hope this helps and has confused the issue. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( March 3, 2006)