“So, Elaine, you gonna dance this year?” Bust a move like no one’s watching. Oh, you’re just scratching your nose? Speaking of feet or hooves, did you know caribou have special hooves with four “toes” on each foot. These provide a number of benefits in their harsh Arctic environment. Dancing is not one of them. However, their toes can spread out wide to act like snowshoes - distributing the animal’s weight so that it can “float” over snow and soft ice. Get out! The sharp-edged hooves can break and clear the snow when digging for food. Not bad. Their large feet also make good paddles. Caribou are strong swimmers when needing to get in the water. Image: The little kicks! A caribou stands in the middle of a spruce-lined road with mountains in the background at denalinps, head hunched down with its hind leg bent upward to scratch its snout. NPS/Damian Popovic #caribou #denali #alaska #dancelikenooneiswatching #nature #nationalparks