Talk:Claw/Archive 1

Questions about subheadings in article

I attempted to add some organization to what seemed to be a jumble of facts. But I have some questions for experts:

Original text said "Many predators have retractile (retractable) claws that can partially hide inside the animal's limb." Limb seems wrong to me, as I envision that being at least the wrist (or equivalent), but I can't think of any animal in which that's the case. So I changed it to "paw"--but that also assumes that this is the case only for predatory mammals, which I also changed--are there, say, reptiles or amphibians who can do this?

Birds I guess are technically tetrapods; shd that subsection be beneath the tetrapods heading? Not sure whether the general tetrapod paragraph applies to birds, but after several readings I can see that it well might.

Thanks. Elf | Talk 21:10, 1 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The subheadings either need to be consolidated or be significantly expanded upon. The current ones (birds, mammals, primates?) seem arbitrarily chosen, with no clear reason why these groups have claws that compel discussion and other groups do not. If the headings and subheadings are going to be presented in this manner, they should at least represent similar taxonomic levels or clades. --Raphite (talk) 07:56, 22 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

human "claws"

All,

Just so you know, the entry I made on "claws" of humans is no joke. I know someone that has just this condition. I don't think it is any more suprising than being born with a tail. I am hoping you all will leave it in, and let time pass. I want to see if further interesting data shows up by someone with real credentials.

thanks, Andre

I believe you and your entry about "claws of humans" but I have removed it for two reasons. First, it has lines that are not encyclopedic like "which we must periodically clip or file to maintain at an acceptable length" (We must? What exactly is "acceptable length"?) and "Occasionally the subunguis reappears as a sort of genetic echo from the distant past." (I'm assuming the "sort of genetic echo from the past" line meant vestigial.) Second, and more importantly, there are no citations and so the entry is filled with weasel words such as "One individual describes" and "most doctors think of the growth as a symptom of a fungal infection, they are only too eager to apply painful and ultimately futile treatments." - Ektar 16:33, 13 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I would agree with Ektar here. The paragraph is not particularly relevant to the article here and really needs sources. I'm not sure that what is being discussed is really a Vestigial structure, it sounds more like a mild genetic mutation along the lines of webbed feet. Either way, it would be better placed in an appropriate article about abnomalities rather than in a general discussion of Claws. -- Solipsist 09:27, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed with above. Human "claws" are the result of a condition called Ectrodactyly (and look at that, a wikipedia entry on it and everything). It's not vestigial, and therefore not relevant from an evolutionary perspective. It's not mild (sorry Solipsist), but isn't fatal. At any rate, it shouldn't be in this article unless it's just as a link to the Ectrodactyly article.Shapu 16:23, 26 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

No longer necessary?

"Much like the tail, the claw in humans is no longer necessary."

I'm not sure what this is talking about exactly. It's difficult to tell if it's talking about some unusual condition (as mentioned above) or regular fingernails, in the sense that fingernails are our version of claws. Obviously fingernails are not unnecessary--peeling an orange or removing a shed eyelash from the surface of your eyeball are just two examples of activities that are nearly impossible without fingernails (I would know, I've tried both). If this statement is talking about something other than regular fingernails, it might be a good idea to rephrase it so that it's easier to understand. 71.217.98.158 01:30, 23 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Evolutionary links

Do all claws/talons/chelae stem from the same evolutionary roots or did they develop independently in different species? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.61.230.250 (talk) 08:07, 29 June 2011 (UTC) jdkfj[reply]