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How horses lost their toes

Ancient equines had up to four toes, which they shed as their body size grew

Hyracotherium illustration

TOES TO SPARE  The ancestral horse Hyracotherium (illustrated) roamed North America about 55 million years ago. It had four toes on its front feet and three on its back feet.

TomCatX/Wikimedia Commons

By Emily Underwood

- More than 2 years ago

Horses can leap over high hurdles, gallop at speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour and haul around up to nearly 1,000 kilograms of body weight — and all with just one big toe on each foot.