How do claws help animals

While indoor cats have little need to defend themselves, their claws still offer the security of knowing they have a form of protection. Cats also use their claws to communicate certain messages, for example swatting to communicate the need for distance. Scratching is a perfectly natural practice for your cat and serves several healthy functions. While you may have to repair a scratched item or two in your house, just remember that the love and companionship offered by your cat far outweigh the price of any item.

The Ontario SPCA would like to extend a special thank you to our long-time volunteer blog writer Carol Kim for all her wonderful articles! It is with and because of your dedication and support that helpless animals are being saved.

This is really important to allow the armadillo to dig effectively. The reason animals like armadillos need to be able to dig is because they hunt small termites and so need to be able to get to them to hunt effectively. Nothing screams weird and wonderful as much as the aye aye. The aye aye has adapted in an incredible way. Just like other primates it has bony opposable fingers. This allows us to grip and hold on to things.

With other creatures like the aye aye, this anatomical advantage has taken a step further. Aye ayes live in Madagascar, an island very close to Africa.

It lives in the forest canopy and uses its heating to listen out for grubs in trees. The aye aye proceeds to poke at the wood to help locate further before gnawing at the bark. Once a hole is made it uses its finger to stab the grubs and eat them… dinner is served!

You may be wondering what the purpose of small little claws are, especially small ones like dogs or little lizard feet but in reality, all claws have a purpose.

When a dog runs a lot of pressure is put on their carpal joint wrist joint. The dew claw in animals also helps with gripping onto things.

Lizards claws are also very good at climbing and therefore gripping. Both are sharp enough to allow them to grip onto branches. But there are specialized claws that serve only one purpose…or none at all! Protosimians, such as galagos a. Flattened, and duller than typical claws, toilet claws are used specifically and exclusively for grooming.

Dew claws are another type of claw, attached to vestigial digits. Bush Babies, like the one pictured here, use toilet claws for grooming. Photo: Thomson Safaris guest, William Wolff. Look out at the Eastern Serengeti, where the land seems to go on forever. The beginning of the year is a popular time to think