Digits of pes

The digits of the foot (digiti pedis) vary in number according to the species. Fundamentally, there are five digits, numbered I to V from the medial to the lateral border.

In all Ungulates, the first digit (pollex, or thumb) is absent.

In Carnivores, when present, it is thin and never takes part in weight-bearing; the other digits, besides the thumb, bear a digital pad (torus digitalis) on the plantar side, at their distal extremity.

In Pigs and Ruminants, only digits III and IV are well developed. In Pigs, digits II and V are reduced and accessory, whereas in Ruminants they are absent altogether, with only the vestigial ungulate remnants - the dewclaws (paraungulae) - persisting.

In Equidae, only the third digit is developed, and it is very powerful.