The mystery of rhinoceros feet

BBC : Rhinos are one of the biggest living land mammals, yet little is known about the physics and mechanics of their relatively small feet. Unlike elephants, which have five forward-pointing toes and one “false toe” that points toward the heel, rhinos have three rigid toes and a more evenly spread pad across the sole of the foot. John Hutchinson of the Royal Veterinary College and colleagues are working with rhinos who have been trained to walk on a high-tech track that measures the amount of force the rhinos put on individual regions of their feet. Thus far, Hutchinson and his team have found that rhinos generate the highest pressures on the inside part of the foot—again in contrast with elephants, which generate the highest pressures on the outside. The study should help with the development of more targeted approaches to alleviate the foot problems that plague captive rhinos.