What is the probability of cloven hooves in the offspring of parents that are heterozygous for the trait?

To answer this question, we need to understand a bit about genetics. The trait for cloven hooves is likely determined by a single gene with two alleles. If the parents are heterozygous for the trait, it means they each have one dominant allele (let's call it "C") and one recessive allele (let's call it "c").

The dominant allele (C) codes for cloven hooves, while the recessive allele (c) codes for non-cloven hooves.

When these parents reproduce, they each pass on one of their alleles to their offspring. The possible combinations are as follows:

1. Offspring receives the dominant allele (C) from both parents (CC).
2. Offspring receives the dominant allele (C) from one parent and the recessive allele (c) from the other parent (Cc).
3. Offspring receives the recessive allele (c) from one parent and the dominant allele (C) from the other parent (cC).
4. Offspring receives the recessive allele (c) from both parents (cc).

In the first three scenarios, the offspring will have cloven hooves because the presence of at least one dominant allele (C) results in this trait. Only in the fourth scenario will the offspring not have cloven hooves.

So, the probability of the offspring having cloven hooves is 3 out of 4, or 75%.