In hoofed animals, the deciduous hoof capsule (Capsula ungulae decidua) is the eponychium in fetuses and newborn foals. It is a deciduous structure, which disappears as the animal grows. In equines, they are shed soon after a foal begins to stand. The shedding process can vary from dropping-off whole to the gradual wearing down of the capsule. Common names used in lay literature include "golden slippers", "fairy fingers", and "horse feathers".
References
- Bragulla, Hermann (1991). "Die hinfällige Hufkapsel (Capsula ungulae decidua) des Pferdefetus und neugeborenen Fohlens*" [The deciduous hoof capsule (Capsula ungulae decidua) of the equine fetus and newborn foal]. Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia (in German). 20 (1): 66–74. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0264.1991.tb00293.x. PMID 1877762. S2CID 221396589.
- ^ Ginther, Oliver J. (2022). "Physical Interplay between Equine Fetus and Uterus from Day 180 to End of Pregnancy". Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 112: 103918. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2022.103918. PMID 35257827. S2CID 247266319.
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