By K. Nepsa
A friend recently announced her favorite mare finally birthed her foal. For anyone who loves their horses, this is indeed, a wonderful event for the family. As she proudly described the moment in more detail, she happened to mention the foal’s “fairy fingers.” Um…what? What are fairy fingers?
According to Maryland Saddlery Consignment Crofton, the term “fairy feet”, “horse feathers” or “golden slippers” is a term used for Eponychium. Eponychium is the soft capsules that protects the mother’s uterus and birth canal from the sharp edges of the foal’s hooves during pregnancy and birth. Who knew? The question remains (for some of us), WHY do foals need this?
Maryland Saddlery mentions that in the wild, predators are attracted to the smell of the placenta. This makes it necessary for the newborn foal and its mother to be able to move away from the birthing spot as quickly as possible. To accomplish this, the foal needs to have fully formed hooves at birth. So, shortly after birth and as the foal makes its first venture across harder ground, the soft hoof capsules are quickly worn down to meet the level sole, revealing the more recognizable hooves we see on horses.
How long does this process generally take? They will begin to dry out and wear away the minute they make contact with the air. Within 24 hours of the foal’s birth, there is barely a trace of them remaining on the hooves. This is why not many people even know about a foal’s fairy fingers.
This fascinating information about foals’ hooves, brought my attention to other animal feet facts. In recognition of our newest pachyderm (elephant) born last spring at our local Zoo, what can we say about an elephant’s foot? Elephants can neither jump nor run (although we do see them rush or charge predators). They ‘hear’ through their feet and can decipher vibrations from long distances. Their feet have what’s called “digitigrades.” Elephants walk on the tips of these fingers and toes.
There are three types of foot posture that exist in mammals: (1) plantigrade, in which the surface of the whole foot touches the ground during locomotion (e.g., human, baboon, and bear), (2) digitigrade, in which only the phalanges (toes and fingers) touch the ground, while the ankle and wrist are elevated (e.g., dog, elephant and cat), and (3) unguligrade, in which only a hoof (the tip of one or two digits) touches the ground—a specialization of running animals (e.g., horse and deer).
Our beloved house cats are another digitigrade walker. This means they walk on the balls of their feet. The small, soft, and sensitive pads on their paws help cats assess their environments and move silently, allowing them to hunt. Other digitigrades also include our beloved canine pals, as well as hyenas and walking birds.
Our bodies are wondrous machines, even our feet. Next time you get within cuddling distance of an animal, look down and take a closer look! Next month is Part 2 in Footnotes of Science, where we’ll explore a fun and informative science experiment performed by one of our very own Vail students! Stay tuned!
FUN FACT: Ostriches are the only two toed birds in existence.
K. Nepsa has a B.S. in Geology and a Master’s in GIS. She has lived in Arizona, HI, CA and Shanghai, China. Her hobbies include enjoying the outdoors via Jeep, Kayak, horse or foot. She has been a Vail resident since 2005.
