Cloven hoof

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Cloven hoof (disambiguation).
Capreolus capreolus
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A cloven hoof, cleft hoof, divided hoof, or split hoof is a

Artiodactyla that possess this type of hoof include cattle, deer, pigs, antelopes, gazelles, goats, and sheep.[1]

The two digits of cloven-hooved animals are

fingernail.[2]

The almost finger-like dexterity available to cloven-hooved mammals such as mountain goats and wild sheep combined with a hard outer shell and soft and flexible inner pads provides excellent traction in their precarious habitats.[3][4][5]

Evolution

It is speculated by paleontologists that during the

Artiodactyla or even-toed hooved animals. Before the end of the Eocene period the side toes of some had dwindled and practically disappeared (mainly in the form of a dewclaw) while the basal pieces or metapodium of the pair of supporting toes became fused together, thus producing the appearance of a cloven hoof.[6]

The mammal with a cloven hoof is an even-toed

odd-toed ungulates of Perissidactyla, such as the horse, which have one toe, or the rhinoceros, which has three toes. The five-toed ancestors of the earliest Eocene had already developed feet that suggest odd-toed and even-toed descendants to the modern viewer. Even Phenacodus, the most generalized of the early mammals, has a foot in which the central toe is somewhat larger than the others and could be placed in the division of odd-toed ungulates, Perissidactyla. [7]

Jewish dietary laws

The distinction between cloven and uncloven hooves is highly relevant for dietary laws of

forbidden to eat
them.

This rule thus excludes the camel from the list of kosher animals because although the camel does ruminate it does not possess true "hooves" – it walks on soft toes which have little more than a nail merely giving an appearance of a "hoof". Similarly the pig, although it has cloven true hooves, does not ruminate.[11][12] Other animals such as dogs and cats exhibit neither characteristic and are thus also forbidden for Jewish consumption.

In popular culture

In folklore and popular culture, a cloven hoof has long been associated with the Devil.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ American Museum of Natural History (1892). Visitors' Guide to the Geological and Palaeontological Collections. Original from the University of Michigan. p. 59. Cloven hoof -wikipedia Artiodactyla.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Kate Hepworth, Animal Sciences Student; Michael Neary, Extension Animal Scientist; Simon Kenyon, Extension Veterinarian (October 2004). "Hoof Anatomy, Care and Management in Livestock" (PDF). Purdue University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-10. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  3. ISBN 0-7621-0020-6
    .
  4. ^ Streubel, Donald (2000). "Oreamnos americanus (Mountain Goat)" (Web). Idaho Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  5. ^ Plekon, Hannah J. (April 2007). "Oreamnos americanus; General description". Davidson College. Archived from the original (Web) on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  6. ^ British Museum (Natural History) (1906). British Museum Guides: Vertebrates. Original from the University of Michigan. p. 28.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ Cleland, Herdman Fitzgerald (1916). Geology, Physical and Historical. Original from the University of Michigan: American Book Company. p. 599. Cloven hoof -wikipedia Artiodactyla.
  8. ^ Leviticus 11:3–8
  9. ^ Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 79
  10. ISBN 978-1-56871-312-0
    .
  11. ^ Glover, Alfred Kingsley (1900). Jewish Laws and Customs: Some of the Laws and Usages of the Children of the Ghetto. Original from Harvard University: W.A. Hammond. p. 157. kosher cloven.
  12. ISBN 0-88400-303-5
    .

External links
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