The ulna and fibula are reduced, and the main foot bones are fused into a cannon bone. The front and hind feet are not the same length. On each foot, only two digits, the third and fourth, are well developed. The second and fifth digits are either absent or small and form the so-called dew hooves or dewclaws. The stomach is four-chambered and ruminating, and a gall bladder is usually present.
Females have one or two pairs of functional mammae.
Horns are carried by all adult male bovids and by the females of most genera. The horns are composed of a bony core, attached to the frontal bones of the skull, and a hard sheath of horny material. Most bovids inhabit grassland, scrubby country, or desert, but some live in forests, swamps, or arctic tundra. Goats and sheep generally occur in rocky or mountainous areas. The food is brought up from the first compartment of the stomach and chewed while the animal is at leisure, before being swallowed a second time for thorough digestion.