These terms refer to the hard material covering the bottom of the feet of certain animals such as camels, cattle, deer, horses, donkeys, pigs, oxen, sheep, and goats.
* An animal's hooves protect its feet when walking.
* Some animals have hooves that are split into two parts and others do not.
* God told the Israelites that animals which had split hooves and chewed a cud were considered clean to eat. This included cattle, sheep, deer, and oxen.