Mary Allen
A toe is part of the foot. Humans and great apes have five toes on each foot. The big toe is on the inside of the foot and the little toe is on the outside. If you only mean the singular, you can say “a toe” or “a toe”, both are correct.
In humans, a foot equals a hand. A toe equals a finger. Each of the five toes has a nail.
A toe consists of several limbs. The big toe has two phalanges, all other toes have three. We need the big toe the most: to keep our balance and to push off when walking.
The big difference is that we can spread our thumb and form a clamp with another finger. We can’t do that with the big toe. It stands in line with the rest of the toes. It is the same with the apes.
What are the toes of animals like?
Only the apes have arms, hands, and fingers like humans. The remaining mammals have hind and front legs. Except in monkeys, the hind and front legs are very similar, as are the toes.
The feet and toes are important characteristics for the relationship of the animals. All horses only walk on the middle of the five toes. The other four toes are almost gone. A hoof has formed from the middle toe. Then the blacksmith nails the horseshoe.
Many animals walk on two toes. That is why they are called “Paarhufer”. These include deer, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, camels, giraffes, antelopes, and many others.
The rhinos walk on three toes. Cats have five toes on the front and four on the back like the domestic dog, the wolf, and their relatives. The birds have two to four toes. Part of it is often associated with webbed webs.