Editing Moose (section)

===Hooves===
[[File:Tracksdeepsnow.JPG|thumb|left|upright|Long legs allow moose to wade easily through deep water or snow.]]
As with all members of the order Artiodactyla ([[even-toed ungulates]]), moose feet have two large keratinized hooves corresponding to the third and fourth toe, with two small posterolateral [[dewclaw]]s (vestigial digits), corresponding to the second and fifth toe. The hoof of the fourth digit is broader than that of the third digit, while the inner hoof of the third digit is longer than that of the fourth digit. This foot configuration may favor striding on soft ground.<ref>Keller, Anna, Marcus Clauss, Evelyne Muggli, and Karl Nuss. "Even-toed but uneven in length: the digits of artiodactyls." Zoology 112, no. 4 (2009): 270-278.</ref> The moose hoof splays under load, increasing surface area, which limits sinking of the moose foot into soft ground or snow, and which increases efficiency when swimming. The body weight per footprint surface area of the moose foot is intermediate between that of the [[pronghorn]] foot, (which have stiff feet lacking dewclaws—optimized for high-speed running) and the [[caribou]] foot (which are more rounded with large dewclaws, optimized for walking in deep snow). The moose's body weight per surface area of [[footprint]] is about twice that of the caribou.<ref>Lundmark, Caroline. Morphological and behavioral adaptations of moose to climate, snow, and forage. Vol. 2008, no. 67. 2008.</ref><ref>Telfer, Edmund S., and John P. Kelsall. "Adaptation of some large North American mammals for survival in snow." Ecology 65, no. 6 (1984): 1828-1834.</ref>