Horse (Equus caballus)
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About Horse (Equus caballus)
- Kingdom: Animals
- Phylum: Chordates
- Class: Mammals
- Order: Perissodactyla
- Family: Equidae
Hooves resist cracking: horse
The hooves of horses resist cracking by having braided filaments of keratin in horizontal sheets punctuated vertically by thin, hollow tubes.
"Horse hooves are among the most crack-resistant substances in the natural world, about twenty times tougher than bone. As such, they may provide clues to researchers hoping to develop stronger materials for human use. Horse hooves, like human fingernails, are composed of cells housing braided filaments of keratin. From cell to cell, the braids run in the same direction. In hooves, these cells are glued together into horizontal sheets. The sheets are punctuated vertically with thin, hollow tubes, each of which is surrounded by several sleeves of cells. Although cracks may travel horizontally along the sheets, they are generally stopped by the tubes." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
The Biomimicry Institute
Visits
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2006-12-07Isla Isabella - Highlands, Ecuador
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2008-02-17San Jose del Cabo - Estuary, MexicoGrazing in the estuary and giving rides to tourists when required.
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2009-03-09Cana Station, PanamaA few horses around the station are used to carry stuff.
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2010-02-16El Rosario, Mexico
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2011-01-04Lake Langano - Bishangari Forest, EthiopiaA few kept around for tourists to ride.
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2011-07-15Pantanal, Brazil
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2012-07-11Theodore Roosevelt National Park - South Unit, United States of AmericaFeral horses in the campground.
