In which of the following animal's hooves are not found?

The correct answer is B) Jackal. A jackal is a canid, a carnivore-family animal, and it walks on pads with claws that do not retract. It has no hooves.

The other three are hoofed ungulates:

• Deer belongs to Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates, and has cloven (split) hooves on each foot.
• Zebra and Horse belong to Perissodactyla, the odd-toed ungulates, and have a single hoof-covered toe on each foot.

The core concept is the link between locomotion, diet and digit structure. Hooves are keratinised, modified tips of digits, and they are a feature of grazing and running mammals. Carnivores and omnivores like the jackal have claws. This is useful for Zoology and Environment questions on classification, and for Mains answers on human-wildlife conflict, since jackals are scavengers that often move through farmland and villages.

Trap: aspirants assume that any four-legged mammal, or any animal mentioned in a farm context, must have hooves. Check the foot structure before you assume.