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Feet Fat and Cold
Name: Samantha
Status: educator
Age: 30s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 12/12/2004
Question:
I am reading the book Winter: An Ecological Handbook by
Halfpenny and Ozanne and I'm reading that husky dogs, wolves, and moose
have unsaturated fat in their feet that stays liquid at low
temperatures, therefore their thin feet don't freeze standing in the winter. Do
white tailed deer have the same fat in their feet? I'm creating a display
about surviving winter in a cold climate
Replies:
Samantha,
To answer your question, no, white-tailed deer do not have the same fat
deposits in their feet. The reason for this is that wolves are like dogs,
they have soft pads on their feet. Deer are like horses, having hooves. A
hoof is like a very strong, thick fingernail. It has few pain receptors
(even fewer for temperature), helping the deer to keep the soft, inner part
of its "foot" off of the ground. It's weight is carried on its hooves.
G. Fields
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Update: June 2012
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