A grooming claw (or toilet claw) is the specialized claw or nail on the foot of certain primates, used for personal grooming. All prosimians have a grooming claw, but the digit that is specialized in this manner varies. Tarsiers have a grooming claw on second and third toes. With one possible exception, in the suborder Strepsirrhini, which includes lemurs, galagos and lorises, the grooming claw is on the second toe. The possible exception is the aye-aye, which has claws instead of nails on toes 2 through 5. There is some debate concerning whether any of these claws (and if so which ones) are grooming claws. Less commonly known, a grooming claw is also found on the second pedal digit of owl monkeys (Aotus), titis (Callicebus), and possibly other New World monkeys.
The first toe is the large one, the equivalent of a human big toe. However, in all these prosimians the foot is more or less hand-like. The first toe is opposable, like a human thumb, and the second and third toes correspond approximately to the index and middle fingers.
Like a claw or a nail, the grooming claw is also made of keratin. It resembles a claw in both its lateral compression and longitudinal curvature. However, the tip is not as pointed, and it always stands at a steeper angle, a characteristic that also distinguishes it from a nail.
Read more about Grooming Claw: Function
Famous quotes containing the words grooming and/or claw:
“Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this because of all the time they spend on personal grooming. Dogs aren’t like this. A dog’s idea of personal grooming is to roll in a dead fish. Dogs spend their time thinking about doing good deeds for their masters, or sleeping.”
—James Gorman (b. 1949)
“What is the flesh and blood compounded of
But a few moments in the life of time?
This prowling of the cells, litigious love,
Wears the long claw of flesh-arguing crime.”
—Allen Tate (1899–1979)