I was wandering along on my afternoon walk today not expecting much of interest (always a poor attitude) when I glanced at an oddly shaped object on the ground. It looked like a small horn.
I picked it up and discovered that it is half of a small deer hoof, broken completely off. Ouch! (Gross out warning) There is a small bit of tissue inside the hollow space, so it must have been painful for the deer to have this break. I would assume that it was cracked and injured earlier in the winter, and just finally broke off completely quite recently.
I am also confident that the hoof will regrow, but I know that when I lose a toenail it takes months to get it back. I'll try to watch for deer tracks with a one-toed deer!
See Deer Buffet
See Where the Deer Rest
See The Local Deer Herd
Such an uncommon discovery. Well, to me anyway. Did you keep it?
ReplyDeleteI also did not know that it would grow back...
Interesting blog post. Thank you for the lesson.
~Lily
Yes, I think it is uncommon, and yes, I kept it. I have to assume it will grow- horses hooves grow, toenails grow, antlers grow. But I don't know that for SURE.
ReplyDeleteA finding always leads to some interpretation. You have a good post indeed.
ReplyDeleterainfield- well, it's certainly unusual if nothing else!
ReplyDeleteDO YOU GO MUSHROOM HUNTING???
ReplyDeleteWHEN IS "THE SEASON" FOR MICHIGAN
oh, poor deer, hope it was not as painful for him. I actually lost a toenail (poor me) last summer in one of our hikes, and it is just 90% getting back to normal, and just several months from now will be summer again.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots and very unusual finds.
ReplyDeleteHI Joe- There is a huge morel season around here, but I'm not a big fan of morels. There is a big festival in Mesick- about 50 miles from me. I think it's May 8-10 this year. It's a REALLY big deal to a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteBetchai- I know, it looks really painful because I've lost a few toenails myself.
DhoyM- Thanks for stopping by! I just try to show things so that they are understandable.
Oh my. New Toenail and I sooo feel that deer's pain. I hope it will be okay. I'm always amazed at what you find!
ReplyDeleteOuch!! That one made me cringe, but it sure was interesting.
ReplyDeleteHi Lin- I'm fairly amazed myself, but I sure like to watch for novel items.
ReplyDeleteRatty- yes, it's the sort of thing you can't help but wince at.
My husband loves finding interesting things on his walks and he would have definitely brought this back to show me. Very cool! I looked it up and the hooves do grow back. While googling around, I saw a condition called "foundering" which is when the hooves grow upward like huge toenails. Very odd and caused by too many carbohydrates in the diet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog this week!
Hi Country Girl- I'm glad you found somewhere that said it would grow back. I couldn't seem to find any site that really said so. I like your blog. I'll be back.
ReplyDelete